Wind Lord
by DarthValgaav
Summary: Naruto finds some scrolls that contain Fūton jutsus. When he goes to ask the old man about them, the answers he gets will change his life. Naruto modled after Jin YuYu. NarutoHinataAnko
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to the start of fanfic number five, The Wind Lord. As voted in BEMB this will be a Naruto/Hinata/Anko story. Don't worry about the age difference because, as a written, I control everything. Yes, Anko will be the same age as the rest of them. I do this mainly because I think it's wrong for people to be with other people twice their age. That's just wrong.

Anyways, there's going to be pieces from Yu Yu Hakusho and Bleach in this story. Also, I might decide to bring in my other OC's, original jutsus, and other things that I have found that works. There will be other changes and so on.

Now, let's rock!

---

The date was October 10 in the village of Konoha. The day had started out like any other day would. The shinobi went along with their business and the villagers did their own things. Children laughed in the streets and the elders tried to tell them how life used to be. However, that all changed when the Kyuubi suddenly appeared in the village.

The key to that was suddenly. How did a very, very large nine tailed fox sneak up on a village of shinobi? Only two people thought of that and knew the answer. The first was Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of the village. However, he couldn't tell anyone else for he had just sealed the giant beast into his own son.

The other was Uzumaki Kushina. She knew how the Kyuubi appeared because she had seen it once before when she was a little girl. As she lay in her hospital bed she remembered it well as it destroyed her homeland and left nothing but waste. But, her father had killed the one who summoned it. Or, at least, that's what it seemed.

Then she saw him. He stood before her dressed in black with pins and bolts in his skin to preserve his life. His left eye was closed while his right was opened to reveal his Sharingan. It was him. The man who summoned Kyuubi in Uzu no Kuni. The man that her father killed along with himself. Uchiha Madara.

"It took a long time to find you," he said as he sneered at her. "I never would have thought to come back home."

"If you are here to finish what you started you are too late," said Kushina with no hint of fear. "My son is safe."

"For the moment," replied Madara with an ice cold smile. "He is a helpless baby. Killing him will be a simple matter for me." Kushina then started to laugh and Madara looked confused. "Tell me, what's so funny?"

"You think you have won, but you have lost big time," said Kushina with a grin. "Minato has taken your Kyuubi away from you and at the same time made sure you won't kill my son."

"Impossible," declared Madara. "There is no way he could kill the Kyuubi."

"Whoever said that the Kyuubi is dead," said Kushina. "Minato has sealed him into our son. If he dies, the Kyuubi dies as well. And knowing him, Minato placed a few safe guards on the seal so that Naruto will one day be able to control the Kyuubi's power." Madara, having enough of this, raised his hand and slapped her. But, she only glared back at him in response as his Sharingan began to change.

"For this defiance you will suffer forever," he said as space and time began to warp around Kushina. "Believe me when I say forever. Where you are going time has no meaning. You will live forever with the knowledge that I will find away to get back the Kyuubi. And when I do, I will bring you back so you can watch as I rip it out of your son." Kushina scream as she was sent into the space and time warp, leaving behind nothing.

A few moments later the hospital doctors came into the room to see what the noise was. Inside, they found nothing.

The Hokage was informed of this at once and Sarutobi order a search of the entire village and the outlining villages as well. He knew she wasn't the type of person to abandon her child and there was no way she could leave since she had just given birth. Minutes turned into hours and hours turned to days and they found nothing. The Inuzuka clan had their dogs all over the place and found nothing. The Yamanaka clan probed the minds of several doctors and found nothing as well. Every inch of the village was search and all they found were a couple of kids smoking.

Despite this, Sarutobi never gave up hope. He believed that she was still out there somewhere. Until then, he would watch over Naruto and do his best to fulfill their last wishes. Yet something's are not so easily done. The council and the villagers believed that Naruto was the Kyuubi reborn and screamed for his blood. The shinobi wanted to turn him into a weapon. Sarutobi tried to talk some sense into them, but it went in one ear and out the other. In the end he was only able to pass a few laws that he thought would help give Naruto a chance with the next generation.

---

Years later, a nameless chunin entered his apartment after a long mission. He had just gotten back from an escort mission to Yuki no Kuni. While the mission was a bust, he had managed to get his hands on some scrolls. You see, the man they were escorting was a collector of jutsu scrolls and was looking for several new ones to add to his large collection that he always kept with him. Sadly, the local shinobi didn't like that at all. During the confusion the chunin was able to grab two random scrolls and make a break for it.

The chunin walked over to his kitchen table and sat down. He then reached into his bag and pulled them out. One had the Suna symbol on it while the other had the Yuki symbol on it. Deciding to open the Suna one first, he breaks the seal and began to read it.

"What the hell?" he shouted aloud. Inside the scroll were several wind jutsus that were C to B rank. There was a defensive one, and two offensive ones. He, on the other hand, was and earth user and had a harder time with jutsus that involved water and wind. Also, he was hoping for something more powerful to impressive everyone when he finally took the jonin exam. He set the scroll down and opened the other. This one held only Hyoton: Kokuryubo Fusetsu, an A rank jutsu. However, this jutsu used a lot of chakra and his two worst elements. In his frustration, he threw both the scrolls out his window.

Meanwhile, a five year old Naruto was outside looking through the trash for food. He had been living on his own for a few weeks since he had been kick out of the orphanage. He was given a weekly allowance to pay for his own food and stuff, but the villagers would only sell him stuff far worse than the stuff he was looking at now. Plus, they would take every dime he had.

Suddenly, he felt something hit him on the head. Two something's to be precious. Naruto rubbed the top of his head and saw the scrolls. He opened the first one and came to realize something. He didn't know how to read! Picking up both scrolls in his tiny arms, he ran off to the only person who would help him.

Sarutobi was in his office with his paper work when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said. A moment later he saw Naruto in a dirty oversized shirt and blue shorts holding two scrolls. "Ah, what can I do for you today Naruto?"

"Ojisan, could you read these scrolls to me," asked Naruto. "I think there stories because they have pictures."

The Hokage chuckled as he picked up the child and set him on his lap. He then opened the first scroll and then looked over at Naruto who was staring at him wide eyed, eager to hear a story.

"I'm sorry but these are jutsu scrolls," said Sarutobi. "Where did you get them?"

"I was looking for some food and they fell out of the sky," said Naruto as he waved his hands around. "They hit me on the head and it hurt. What's a 'jutsu'?"

Sarutobi sighed. No matter what he did, life didn't get better for the boy as he had hoped. The children mirrored the actions of the adults and began to hate Naruto for no reason. Even when he gave him his own place, things were difficult for him. Then, a thought entered his head.

"Well Naruto," he said at last. "They are really cool powers that shinobi have."

"What?" cried the boy. "That's not fair. I want powers too!"

"Oh, are you sure?" asked the Hokage innocently. "I mean there is a lot of work needed to become a shinobi. And, if you work hard enough, you become a Hokage like me."

"Really?" asked Naruto. He had seen how people treated the old man for a while. They would bow to him and say nice things. He always had nice clouting and a nice place to stay. He had always wondered why and if being a shinobi did that then it might work for him. "Ojisan, I want to become a shinobi."

"Well then," said the Hokage, "I'll have to make some arrangements for next year so you can go with other people your age. How does that sound?" The small boy only nodded in response. "Now, do you have any questions?"

"Ah, what kind of powe…I mean jutsus are on these scrolls?" asked the boy.

"Well this scroll here has Fūton jutsus and this one over here has a Hyoton," said Sarutobi. "Fūton jutsus are jutsus that use the wind while Hyoton jutsus use ice."

"I think I can understand the ice Ojisan," said Naruto as he remembered being hit by an icicle someone threw at him. "But wind is lame."

"Oh really," laughed the old man. "Well, do you know what a tornado is?" Naruto nodded. "What about a hurricane?" Again the boy nodded. "Well those are really powerful winds. With the right Fūton a shinobi can blow his opponent away, cut him to shreds, or create a powerful defense. In fact, I have heard that some people in Suna have been able to fly." Now this wasn't exactly true. In Suna, the most anyone has ever been able to do was glide with the use of a fan or make a more controlled fall. However, it's just easier to tell a five year old that they are flying.

"Cool," exclaimed Naruto. "Just you wait; I'll be flying in no time!"

"Hehe," chuckled the old man. "You're just like your mother." Sarutobi then realized that he had made a mistake. He shouldn't have told the boy about his mother.

"You knew my mother," asked the boy quietly. "Where is she? Did she leave me because I was bad?" Now this is why he didn't want to talk about that.

"No Naruto," said Sarutobi. "We don't know what happened to here. But I know for sure that she didn't choose to leave you. You were all she talked about before she disappeared and I knew she was excited to be a mother. It wasn't because of you." Naruto looked a little down so Sarutobi decided to do something special for him. He remembered reading in a magazine that children learn faster when they are younger and that it was better to start them on some things sooner rather than later. "Well Naruto, how about I give you a couple early lessons since."

"What kind of lessons Ojisan?"

"Just some chakra control lessons," he said. "It is very important and will help you later on. Now, I'll only show you these exercises and these exercises alone besides learning how to read. We can't have people thinking I'm playing favorites. Once you are done with these you will have to learn the rest on your own. Do you have any questions?"

"Only one Ojisan," replied Naruto. "What's chakra?" Sarutobi could tell this was going to be a long day.

Well, there's the opening. Hope you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, hey I am.

While I was reading my reviews, I saw that one person was hoping that I would use Yuu in this story as well. That I'm not so sure of. I mean, he is my first successful OC, but he's not my favorite. (Yuu goes into a corner and starts to cry.) My favorites are Zanku, Saki, and Michi. Zanku because he's a kick ass guy with a great sense of humor. Michi because I love any character that can make something go boom. And Saki, I just like her because I was right! I mean, I created her and her powers before anyone knew about Konan. Imagine my surprise when I see her using similar powers. Key word: similar.

Speaking of Saki, I should update Bloody Fox soon.

Well, let's rock!

---

"Are you sure that you have everything?" asked the Hokage.

"Hai Ojisan," said Naruto as he packed his bag with pencils, scrolls, and ramen for lunch.

Today was Naruto's first day at the academy and the boy was very excited. He would finally be able to send time with other children. The best part was that their parents wouldn't be there to pull them away from him. That was a very happy thought for the young blond.

Since that day Naruto had found the scrolls, he had been training hard. Despite his young age he had a very large amount of chakra and stamina so he could train longer than most. Still, Sarutobi started him off with the leaf exercise as an intro to chakra control. It took a while for Naruto to get the hang of it, but after a while he was able to do it with no problem. Then came the tree walking exercise. The old man took the boy out to one of the empty training fields and watched him as he fell and got back up. It took the boy about a month to get the hang of it and then only a week and a half to complete the water walking exercise. Sarutobi was very proud of the boy.

Like he had said, the remainder of the time was spent teaching Naruto how to read and write. They would spend about two hours on it a day and then Naruto was sent back to his apartment with exercises to work on by himself. Yet that's not all Naruto was doing.

Once he had learned enough the boy would sneak into the library at night and read what they had. The reason he had to sneak in was because of the old lady who worked there had a ruler and would used it on him the moment he stepped into the building. Luckily for him, she was never a shinobi and no one ever seemed to go near the building at night. So, Naruto was free to read up more on the subject of wind.

About a week after he started his nightly visits, he found a scroll that talked about chakra nature and manipulation. Grabbing the scroll and a dictionary, he began to read and look up the words he didn't know. After about an hour and a half of this, Naruto got up and looked for an easier scroll or book. In the end he found 'Nature Chakra for Baka's'. This one was much easier to follow. As soon as he was finished, Naruto decided to try it out. So the first thing he did was to get one of the special pieces of paper needed to determine chakra affinity after his lesson with the Hokage. While it had cost him half of his allowance, he felt it was worth it. Also, he had found a great ramen stand that didn't overcharge him, the Ichiraku Ramen stand.

As soon as he found out that he was a wind type, which thrilled him, he set to work on his training. After consulting 'Nature Chakra for Baka's' Naruto went to work on the first exercise which was to cut a leaf with his chakra. This, however, proved to be harder than it sounded to the small boy since he is still working on it.

This brings us to today.

"Well it seems you have everything," said Sarutobi after checking the bag. "Now remember to ask your sensei for the hot water you'll need to boil your noodles. Now you better get going."

"Hai," cheered Naruto as he raced out the door. Sarutobi just chuckled as he simply vanished from the room so he could also get the academy.

When Naruto got to the academy all the other students were standing next to their parents or an older sibling. A few caught his eye. The first was a boy with red markings on his face who was standing with his mother who had a dog next to her. Keeping the eager to go over there and pet the dog at bay, he looked over at a father and son who were both wearing sunglasses. Then he saw a creepy looking man with black hair and eyes and was dressed in fancy looking clothing that had a fan on the back. Next to him was a boy who looked about the same, but a bit more casual in dress.

There were only two there who weren't with their family besides himself. The first was a girl with lavender pupil less eyes and blue hair. She was dressed in a in a light blue shirt and tanned shorts. She seemed a bit nervous, but Naruto didn't know why. Next to her was a woman with long black hair and red eyes in the chunin uniform. In fact, Naruto remembered seeing her with the Hokage several times in the past. While he didn't know either of them, it was painfully obvious to anyone that they weren't related. The other child was also a girl. She had purple hair and was dressed in a dark brown shirt with light colored shorts. She seemed to be all alone.

After the Hokages speech the parents talked to each other for a bit while their kids got to meet each other. Upon seeing Naruto, several parents whispered to their children to stay away from him and did not state why. Others spoke harshly about the fact that he was being allowed in.

"Can you believe that the Hokage is letting them into the academy? I'm about ready to pull my son out of there because of those two."

"I know. It's bad enough that they are letting that girl attend classes with the rest of the children. I mean, with her lineage she'll end up like her grandfather. At least her parents had the right idea in taking their own lives. I never did really like them much anyways."

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. But that demon child is much worse."

"Shh. You know the law."

Naruto stopped listening as they were being called into class. The boy followed the other students into the building and then to their class room. Once in the room he took a seat next to the boy with the fan symbol on his shirt. While waiting for his sensei to arrive, he scanned the room and noticed that he couldn't find the purple haired girl. Before he could do a second search, two chunins entered the room.

"Hello everyone," said the one with a scar on his nose in a cheery voice. "My name is Umino Iruka and I'll be your sensei until you graduate. This is my assistant Mizuki. Now let's take role." One by one he called out names and the students would reply in some way. Then, "Mitarashi Anko?"

For a moment nothing happened. Iruka was about to say something until his chunin senses picked up on an object heading towards the window. Both he and Mizuki jumped back as a black, ball shaped mass broke the window and came into the room very quickly. Then, before it hit the wall, kunai's came out of its sides and pinned it to the wall. Shortly after it hit the wall everyone could hear the sounds of a struggle going on inside if it. Iruka walked over and then, when he was close enough, pulled out a kunai of his own and cut lightly into. The purple haired girl the pooped out of the cut and looked a bit dizzy. She quickly got a hold of herself, got up, and picked up a piece of the cloth. She had a horrified look on her face, like she was going to cry.

"I (sniff) worked all night on this," she said. "It was (sniff) supposed to explode open so everyone (sniff) would remember my name." Everyone in the room sweat dropped.

"Ah, are you Mitarashi Anko by any chance?" asked Iruka. The girl looked up at him with sad puppy dog eyes.

"Hai," she said.

"Just go take your seat," said Iruka as an eye twitched. _Please kami, let her be the only trouble maker. Is that too much to ask for?_ With that, Iruka continued calling out his students names. When he got to Naruto's, his voice turned cold and hard. Naruto, in turn, tried to answer back as cheerfully as he could which only caused Iruka to snap at him.

The rest of the day seemed to crawl by. Whenever Naruto raised his hand it was either ignored or he was told to be quiet. The other students saw this and would laugh with only a few exceptions. Later, the class was split between the boys and the girls. The boys were taken outside to do some muscle building exercises while the girls were started in flower arrangement. When they came back to the class room, they continued with the normal lessons.

When lunch finally came, Naruto walked out with his fellow class mates with tears falling down his face. The cause of this was a number of things. One of them was the fact that he had hoped that people here would at least try to be nice. But that wasn't the case, as they had walked out he had tried to talk to the other students only to be told to go away. In a way it was worse than before. In the past, he wasn't part of a group. Now that he was and surrounded by people no one was making him feel welcome like they did with others.

The other reason was that half his face was bright red and his clothes were damp. When Naruto had gone to ask for hot water like the Hokage told him to, he had asked the kunoichi teacher. She, in turn, screamed at him and then threw the hot kettle at him. Now he was wet, his face stung, and he was lonely. He sat alone under a tree with a swing on it and pondered if things could get worse. He was so lost in thought that he missed seeing someone walk up to him.

"What'cha do?" Naruto looked up and saw the girl called Anko. She was pointing to his reddened skin that was starting to fade.

"Ahh…"

"Were you mean to sensei?" she asked. "Or did someone else do something?"

"I don't know," replied Naruto quickly. "I don't think I did anything to her. She just threw the kettle at me after I asked her for some water." At that, Anko looked a little disappointed.

"Too bad," she said as she sat next to him. "I don't like her that much. She just talks about how her class will help me become a 'proper' lady. And her class is soooo boring. Flower arrangement is driving me crazy and it's only the first day!"

"Wait," said Naruto both alarmed and amused. "You can get crazier than coming into class by a window? That's kind of scary."

"Hey, it would have been so cool if it had worked," she said in defense with a light blush. "If it had then everyone would have been all wow and sensei would have been impressed." Naruto smiled and she then decided to change the subject. "So why aren't you playing or eating with the rest of them?"

"Why aren't you?" counted Naruto.

"Grown ups tell their kids to stay away from me," she said reluctantly as she lowered her head. "My grandfather did something really bad that no one wants to talk about. So they say that I'll end up like him since I'm related." Anko then clenched her fists. "I don't even look like him."

"I know how you feel," said Naruto. Anko looked up and gave him a questioning look so he continued. "I don't know why, but people hate me. Where ever I go there is someone ready to hurt me. At least you know why people treat you that way." Then, an idea came to him. He turned to Anko and gave her a foxy grin. "Maybe we should do something about it."

---

Meanwhile, in the Hokages office, Iruka was having a nice chat with the Hokage. And by nice chat I mean Iruka was pissed off that he got stuck with the traitors' granddaughter and the vessel of the creature that killed his parents. So he wasn't a happy camper.

"How could you do that?" asked/demanded Iruka. "To put those two in the same room is just asking for trouble."

"Don't worry," said Sarutobi as he calmly sipped some tea. "I told Shino before he got to the academy not to bring any fleas into the classroom because they might land on Kiba." Iruka began to sweat drop.

"I'm talking about Uzumaki and Mitarashi," stated Iruka. "Can you even imagine what would happen if those two bonded?"

"Actually I'm hoping that they will," said Sarutobi. "What they need is to have a normal childhood and that includes friends. No one else will let them play with their children and I certainly can't force them to. Trust me, this is for the best."

"But that's dangerous," insisted Iruka. "With their backgrounds they might end up destroying the village!"Sarutobi sighed and gave Iruka a stern look.

"I'm disappointed in you," he said. "I would have hoped that you would have at least gotten to know them before making such harsh decisions. If you want to judge them based on their family tree I'll tell you a few things. Anko's parents were highly respected until Orochimaru betrayed us all. That's when everyone turned on they, including their so called friends. Even after Anko was born they continued to torment them until they took their own lives. And Naruto, well, I can't tell you his lineage, but trust me when I say his parents were good people. But none of that really matters. They are their own person and they will choose their own paths. Anko is not Orochimaru and Naruto isn't the Kyuubi."

"But Hokage-sama…"

"Learn the difference," interrupted the old man, "between children and the monsters they have been forced into association with. If you don't, they will become a self fulfilling prophesy created by you and the other villagers. Now, I believe you have to get back to class."

---

The lunch break soon ended and both teachers and students returned to their rooms. When Iruka entered his room he noticed that Naruto and Anko were now sitting next to each other. They were talking quietly with each other while writing something down on a piece of paper. Iruka just sighed and then called the call to order so he could finish the lessons for the day. For the rest of the day the only interruptions he got were some giggles form Naruto and Anko as they plotted their revenge.

The next day, the kunoichi teacher woke up as a Haruno.

---

Time passes and the two became good friends. Anko, as it turned out, loved to prank people as much as Naruto did. There were times, however, when her idea of a prank went a little too far. Those were the times that Naruto had to keep her from harming not only herself but others as well. Another thing that they had in common was that they lived alone. Anko lived in the house that her parent had left her, which was nice. So, since they had no one to help them at home they would train with each other as well as studying together.

Unlike other girls in the class (that stood out like Sakura and Ino), Anko was serious about her training. The other girls were only doing it to reenact a fairy tale. Basically, they get kidnapped and their shinobi hero comes to the rescue and there's a touch of them living happily ever after. Anko, on the other hand, said that she would blast anyone who tried to do that to her with a super cool jutsu.

---

A few months after the first day at the academy, Naruto was in the woods alone. It was getting dark and he was still working on the leaf exercise. So far he had only made a small cut on the leaf, but it was getting bigger slowly. While this was an amazing feet for someone who wasn't even a genin, he was still frustrated that he wasn't further along.

He was beginning to make a little more progress when he heard something. It was the sounds of twigs breaking and leafs crunching. Someone was coming. A moment later he heard something else, crying.

Then Naruto saw her. It was the blue haired girl that was in his class. She was wearing a dark blue kimono that had a fall leaf pattern on it and there was evidence that she had fallen several times. Her hair was a mess as it had twigs and other things in it, probably from falling. From her eyes down was soaked in her tears. When she saw Naruto, she took a step back in shock.

"I-I s-sorry," she said through her tears. "I didn't t-think a-anyone would be h-here." She then moved to run in the other direction when Naruto suddenly moved over to her and grabbed her hand. She looked back at him and saw a concerned face.

"It's alright," he said. "But, don't you think you should go be with you tousan and kaasan? I'm sure right now they are worried about you." The blue haired girl suddenly began to cry harder and shook her head. Realizing that he had made things worse, he though of what to say next. "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't have a-a t-tousan and (sob) kaasan a-anymore," she cried as she fell to the ground on her hands and knees. Beads of sweat began to roll down Naruto's body as he realized that once again he had made things worse. He then began to search his brain for something that might help. The only thing that he got was from some T.V. show he had seen once. Deciding to try it out, Naruto sat down on the ground and brought her over so she was crying in his lap. He then began to gently rub her back with one hand until she calmed down a bit.

"All better?" he asked. Slowly she lifted her body into a sitting position and, with a light blush, nodded weakly. "So…what's your name?"

"Hyu," she started, but stopped herself. "Hinata."

"Nice to meet ya Hinata," said Naruto in an upbeat voice hoping that it would catch. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Now, can you please tell me what happened?"

"M-My kaasan went to the h-hospital because s-she was having a b-baby," said Hinata. "She left with my t-tousan, but only he came back. H-He then pulled me into office as soon a-as he c-came back. H-He didn't say a-anything to me as he sat down a-and signed a fancy p-paper. H-He then called someone e-else in and t-told him to have it b-brought to the H-Hokage. When I a-asked h-him what was going o-on h-he said that my k-kaasan had died while g-giving birth. T-Then h-he told me to leave b-because the p-paper he had signed l-legally d-disowned me from the clan."

Now, please remember that Naruto is a six year old. He also lives by himself. The only things he reads are coupons for ramen and training scrolls. So his first thought was a bit understandable. _What does legally disowned mean? _That thought echoed through his head until his tenet heard it.

"**You BAKA!**" said the Kyuubi. Well, he only yelled the baka part. "**Let me put this in terms you might understand. Her mommy died and now her daddy has decided to throw her on the street like garbage. IS THAT SIMPLY ENOUGH FOR YOU?**"While Naruto couldn't hear the Kyuubi, he did somehow manage to figure it out.

"Don't worry Hinata, he's just a jerk," said Naruto. "How about we go see the Hokage? I'm sure he'll know what to do." Naruto then got up and then held out his hand to help Hinata. Hinata started to reach out to take it, but then she pulled back.

"W-Why are y-you being so n-nice?" she asked. "A-Am I really t-that p-pathetic?" Tears began to reform in her eyes.

"No," said Naruto quickly. "I just wanna help. It has nothing to do with how strong or weak you are." Then he remembered something that the old man had once told him. "Besides, Ojisan says that those who are truly strong know when to ask and accept help." Hinata hesitated for only a moment before taking his hand.

---

While this was going on, Hiashi was sitting with the Hyuga elders as his late wife's will was being read.

"And finally," read the elder, "I wish that my daughter, Hyuga Hinata, be well taken care of. She is my treasure and I wish for her to be safe and happy."

"Is that it?" asked Hiashi. The elder simply nodded. "Then all shall be done except for the last part." At this, the elders began to whisper to each other for a moment. Then, one of them spoke.

"Hiashi-sama, surely you know that our laws law's clearly states that we follow the last wishes of…" He was then cut off when Hiashi held up his hand to silence him.

"She asked that Hyuga Hinata be well taken care of," he said in an uncaring tone. "However, shortly after my wife's death I disowned the girl. There is no longer a Hyuga Hinata in this clan so I am no longer bond to that last wish."

The council stared at Hiashi while (most of them) doing their best to hold back their disgust. It was true that many felt that Hinata was weak; however they also wouldn't dismiss the fact that she was still a little girl and had time still to grow. There was also the issue of their image. To those outside the clan they were seen as a heartless, cold, and yet powerful clan. Hinata seemed to be a breath of fresh air that slightly improved their image with her warm and kind nature. Hiashi, however, felt that their old image was fine and that as long as they were powerful nothing else mattered. Lastly, what if Hiashi's newborn daughter died due to illness? They would have no one to replace her with.

Let's not forget about the moral problems. I mean, to toss out a little girl onto the streets with nothing shortly after her mother died. Hiashi, can you say "I'm going to hell"? Sure you can.

"Hiashi-sama," said one of the elders who shared Hiashi's opinion of Hinata and approved of his actions. "I think that was a wise decision. However, I wasn't made aware of any sealing ceremony."

"That's because there wasn't one," said Hiashi. "I doubt that the girl will even be able to last the night. When her body is found, it will be properly disposed of like the rest of the homeless trash in this village."

"But, what if she doesn't?" asked the same elder. "Or, what if someone finds here and takes her out of the village. She was weak enough to let it happen to her once before, it is not out of the realm of possibilities that it will happen again."

"Very well," said Hiashi as he stood up. "I will deal with this myself."

"Please hurry," said the elder as Hiashi walked towards the door. "You must get to her before the Hokage signs the document, if he hasn't done so already. If he does, we can't touch her."

---

Hiashi found Hinata with ease. After all, he is ranked as a jonin. She was being led down the street by Naruto as they made their way to the Hokage tower. Hiashi calmly walked towards them and decided to handle this in a way that wouldn't call the attention of the Hokage. Meaning, he would have to be nice.

"Hinata," said Hiashi once they were close enough. Hinata got lose from Naruto's grip and hid behind him. This disgusted Hiashi but he did not show it. "I came to apologize. I have called back the document and would like you to return back to the compound."

Hinata couldn't believe her ears. Her father was saying he was sorry. That he wanted her to be his daughter again. It was too good to be true for her.

"Hai t-tousan," she said as she started to move out from behind Naruto. However, Naruto didn't believe a word. Instinct had kicked in as well as experience. The way he had said all that was not the way he had heard other people talk to their kids. Also, he had been beaten up by people who claimed they wanted to take him in before. Then there was the fact that he was getting a bad feeling from Hiashi. It was the feeling that you get when you know something bad was about to happen. And after the way he found Hinata, there was no way he would let her go back with this guy. So, Naruto moved so Hinata was in back of him again.

"N-Naruto-san, w-what are you doing?" asked Hinata.

"Move aside boy," said Hiashi. "I have things I must discuss with my daughter."

"No way!" yelled Naruto. "I'm not letting you hurt her again." Naruto then turned his head to Hinata. "Don't listen to him. He's up to something."

"But Naruto-san…" began Hinata before she was cut off by Hiashi.

"I will give you one chance brat," he said coldly. "Either move or I will use force." He got his answer when Naruto stuck out his tongue at him. So Hiashi quickly grabbed the boy and threw him into a wall. Naruto hit it hard and bounce off of it. The people who had stopped to watch this cheered.

"N-Naruto-san!" cried Hinata as she attempted to move towards the boy. But Hiashi quickly grabbed her arm and held on tightly. So tightly in fact that it hurt her.

"Now come along," said Hiashi as they started to move in the direction of the Hyuga complex. Then, all of a sudden, they were surrounded by ANBU. In front of Hiashi and a struggling Hinata was a woman behind a cat mask. She had purple hair and tanned skin.

"Hyuga Hiashi," she said, "the Hokage would like to have a word with you, Hinata-san, and Uzumaki-san." Hiashi gritted his teeth and nodded as they were lead to the old Hokage's office. He was sitting behind his desk with a single document in front of him. The ANBU laid Naruto on a couch in the room and they all vanished except for the woman.

"Do you know what this is Hiashi-sama?" asked the Hokage as he held up a document. By the tone of his voice, he was not in a good mood. "This is the document that you sent earlier today. So, what do you want with Hinata."

"I was just tying up some loss ends," said Hiashi without any remorse.

"By that you mean the bird cage seal," said Sarutobi. "Well, I'm afraid that I will not allow that. She is no longer in your clan, and while I can't stop you from doing that to your family members, I will not allow you to do that to a non clan member."

"Then I demand that she never leave the village," said Hiashi.

"You are not in any position to be demanding anything," said Sarutobi. "Assault on two children in the middle of the day? You're lucky that I don't have you arrested right now. I will take this up with the council and maybe the daimyo. Believe me Hiashi; I will make sure that you are punished for this."

"You go Ojisan," said Naruto weakly as he was waking up. Hiashi turned to glare at the boy as he sat straight up. He hated the boy. He blamed the demon brat for this. If it weren't for the ANBU and the Hokage in the room he would have killed him right then and there.

"Very well," said Hiashi as he turned his attention back to the aged Hokage. "But do know that this isn't the end. Sooner or later we will place that seal on her head and then you can send her on suicide missions for all I care." He then turned to Hinata who was about ready to cry again and sneered. Then, he walked out the door and slammed it behind him.

Sarutobi, seeing the poor girl in the state she was in, walked over to her, knelt down, and hugged her as she let it all out.

"W-Why (sob) doesn't m-my tousan (sob) l-love me?" she cried. All anyone could do was watch.

"I do not know," said Sarutobi softly. "I'm sorry."

"Hokage-sama," said the ANBU suddenly. "If you would allow it, I would like it if Hinata lived with me. My fighting style is similar to that of the Hyuga clan and I'm positive that I would make a better role model than that ass. Come on, what do you say." She ended this with a thumbs up good guy pose.

"Very well Yoruichi."

O.K., I'm ending this chapter here.

Next time, Naruto gets to go on a trip for his birthday! I'll give you all a hint where. Getting there is a real pain.

Now, time for pairing and Haku poll. You know the drill; at least I hope you do. Haku live/die and male/female. Also, should she be related to Naruto? The way I'll work it is that Haku's father was Kushina's brother. She went to Leaf and he went to Water.

Now, here are the guys:

Neji

Kiba

Shino

Gaara

Kankuro

Shikamaru

Chouji

Lee is not included. He will be with an OC that will be appearing soon in BEMB.

Sasuke is not included. He will be all alone.

The girls:

Temari

Ino

femHaku (if voted)

younger Hana (if she gets picked at all. If not then she will remain the same)

Tenten

OC from one of my other fanfics, let me know who and why

Sakura dies all alone so she's not included.


	3. Chapter 3

Here I am once again. In the last chapter, Sharkteeth suggested that I go 'Saw' on Hiashi. I thought about and said why the hell not. So here I am now giving you what you really want.

Now this chapter will contain thing that will occur later on. Also, I'm guessing on some things. So please don't write to me and say that I'm wrong. I'm doing the best I can!

Before I begin, it has been decided that Haku will live, will be female, and related to Naruto. The people have spoken. Most of the pairing have been very…similar. NejiTen, ShikaTemar, ChoIno. I think I got a NejiHana and ShinoHana. A lot of GaaraHaku and a few KibaHaku. The KibaIno idea was funny. Well, those haven't been decided yet so don't worry. Plus I forgot about Kin and Tayuya. I might even make Kin part cat like I'm doing in BEMB.

Oh, by the way, I'm not adding another girl with Naruto. Just watch, err, read and enjoy the sweet madness that is my mind.

Now, let's get it on!

---

Hiashi opened his eyes and saw that he was no longer in his room. From the looks (and smell) of it he was in some kind of abandoned factory or sewer. There were pipes coming out of ground and out of the walls. The floor was concrete and the walls had steel plates on them.

He then realized that he was in some kind of chair. His hands and legs were bound to it by chakra enhanced steel chains. His head was locked in place by a steel clamp that kept him from moving it. In fact, the only thing he could move was his mouth.

Then he saw something move towards him. It was two power drills moving towards him at eye level. Literally. Then a voice came on the speakers behind him.

"_**Hello Hyuga Hiashi. I want to play a game. Your whole life you have hurt others with your words. Your harshness has caused people to lose faith in themselves and because of that they have died on missions or have hurt their team's performances. Others have simply given up hope for themselves like your former daughter Hinata. Now, you must use your words to save yourself.**_

"_**In front of you are power drills that are set on a timer. When it reaches zero they will thrust forward and stop just before they penetrate your skull. The only thing that they will take is what your clan prides its self for, your eyes.**_

"_**The only way to stop this is to say something nice about Hinata. But it won't be that easy. Those chains that are binding you will let me know if you are lying. If they tell me that you are, one of the drills will shoot forward automatically.**_

"_**You have sixty seconds.**_

"_**Let the game begin.**_"

With that, the drills came to life.

"Why should I believe this is real?" screamed Hiashi. "You want me to say something truthful? Fine then! Hinata is and always will be useless trash!" Like promised one of the drills shot forward and impaled his left eye. The head of the Hyuga clan screamed in pain.

"_**Tsk, tsk**_," said the voice. "_**One more try. Oh, by the way, you have thirty seconds left.**_"

Hiashi moaned and cried as his precious seconds passed him by. His brain racked its self to find something nice to say about Hinata. Sadly, only one thing came to mind.

"Ah, she's a good dresser," he said.

"_**Sorry Hiashi**_," said the voice as the other drill headed for his right eye. "_**Not good enough.**_" Hiashi screamed as his whole world went black.

Then he woke up.

"No more 'Saw' movie marathons before bed," said a panting Hiashi aloud.

---

Shortly after Hinata moved in with Yoruichi, Naruto decided to go and visit her to make sure that everything was all right. Naruto looked up her address and found out she lived in a penthouse apartment on the other side of the village.

"Why am I going with you again?" whined Anko and she walked behind Naruto. "I should be doing some target practice right now. Or getting back at that teme for stealing my dango!"

"I want you to meet Hinata so you can make another friend," said Naruto with a grin.

"Why do I need another friend?" she asked.

"Because I'm your only friend," deadpanned Naruto. Anko just sheepishly looked away.

About thirty minutes later the two of them stepped into a lobby that reminded them of the one from the first Matrix movie. (I could just describe it but I'm lazy.) They, of course, got the same treatment here as they did everywhere else.

"What are you two doing here?" demanded a security guard as he walked over to them.

"We're here to see Yoruichi-san and Hinata," said Naruto.

"Ya right," huffed the guard. "Now get out of here before I call some chunins."

"Just let us see her," demanded Anko. "What's the harm in that?"

"The guard paused and considered this. If they were lying he could throw them out or simply beat them himself. The worst that could come from this was a complaint from Yoruichi-san or a complaint about blood on the floor. However, if they were telling the truth and he kept them from seeing her, the purple haired woman would make sure he was in a butt load of pain and have no job. Hell might even get the Hokage involved.

"Fine," he said. "But if she has never seen you before you will get it. Do I make myself clear?" The two just nod.

-Later-

"Who is it?" came a voice from behind the door after the guard knocked on it. It was defiantly Yoruichi's.

"Ma'am, there are two kids here who are claiming to know you," said the guard.

"Is one of them a blond spiky haired boy with whisker marks on his face?" she asked.

"Yes," said the guard with a down hearted expression on his face. There went his chance to beat some kids.

The door opened and Yoruichi stepped out. Naked! The guard got a major nose bleed and fainted. Anko looked a little embarrassed and Naruto just poked the guard while Hinata stepped into the hallway, pressing her fingers together the whole time.

"Yoruichi-san, p-please stop doing that," said Hinata (who else?) Yoruichi, in turn, vanished and reappeared behind Hinata. She then used her fingers to hook Hinata's mouth and stretch it.

"I thought I asked you to call me Yorichi-neechan," she said.

"H-Hai," Hinata managed to say. Yoruichi then let her go and patted her on the head.

"Hey, why did this guy pass out?" asked Naruto.

"Because I used the strongest weapon in the shinobi, no, the entire world on him," answered Yoruichi as she brought her hand to her hips. "Sex!" As she said that she made the V for victory sign.

This was a lesson that Anko and Naruto took to heart and would use in the future. Some day.

-One year later-

"Remember to be on your best behavior," said Sarutobi to his companion. "We are meeting the leader of the shinobi of this village and I don't want anything to happen that would wreck our fragile relationship with this village. Is that understood?"

"Hai Ojiisan," said Naruto.

It was, for once, a sunny day in Amegakure (gasp). Sarutobi had decided to take Naruto along with him as a birthday present as it was early in October. They were going to the village to pick up a stolen item and to witness the execution of the man who stole it. The man in question, Rokusho Aoi, had joined up with a rebellious faction in Ame that was being led by a mysterious figure. Hanzo, the leader of the Ame-nins, had caught him and decided to return the item. However, Aoi would get a public exaction to serve as an example to others.

Hanzo met them at the gates surrounded by his own person bodyguards. He wore a grey body suit and had a cape on. His large breathing device covered most of his face and made his black eyes seem more menacing.

"Good day to you Hokage-sama," said Hanzo when he saw the old man in red kage robes. His eyes then fell on a small boy of about seven wearing an oversized shirt with blue shorts. In his left hand was a string that was tied to a balloon. "And who is this?"

"This is Uzumaki Naruto," said Sarutobi as he patted the small blonds head. "He is a student at my village's shinobi academy. I thought it would be very educational for him to see a different village."

"I see," said Hanzo slowly as he looked the boy over. His appearance looked familiar to another shinobi he had seen before. However, his clan name made him think of another group that he had met in Uzu no Kuni. But, then again, it could be just a coincidence so he let those thoughts go. "I hope you enjoy your stay Uzumaki-san."

"I hope so to Ojiisan," replied Naruto to Hanzo. A gasp came from everyone near bye. Did the young blond know who he was talking to? That man was Sanshouo no Hanzo. He was the man who defeated the Sannin and then gave them their name. He was one of the most powerful shinobi on the planet!

Imagine everyone's surprise when Hanzo laughed.

"That's cute kid," chuckled Hanzo.

"I'm very sorry about this," said Sarutobi quickly.

"Don't worry about it," said Hanzo as he waved it off. "I have children of my own and soon I'll be a grandfather so I'll have to get used to it sooner or later. Besides, he's just a child. What kind of person would I be if I got angry at a child for being a child?"

Sarutobi was about to respond when a powerful wind blew and Naruto accidentally let go of his balloon. The balloon slowly rose into the sky as it was a bit old. Sarutobi was about to grab it for the boy when he noticed the look on Hanzo's face. He followed the other mans gaze which fell on Naruto who was doing some hand signs. When the boy finished the wind seemed to rotate around him and he slowly rose off the ground. Kicking his legs in the air as he flew upwards, Naruto was able to get his balloon that was now a foot above Sarutobi, Hanzo, and everyone else's heads. However, as soon as he grabbed it, he fell. Luckily, Naruto was caught by Sarutobi.

"Naruto, are you are right?" asked the old kage as he set the boy down and began to check for injuries.

"I'm fine Ojiisan," said Naruto.

_That was wind chakra_, thought Hanzo. _By the looks of it, he hasn't completely mastered it. If I had to guess, he is at least completed a third of the second stage._ Hanzo then watched with interest as the Hokage questioned the boy. At first, Naruto was a bit reluctant to tell them about his late nights and all the training he had been doing. But, after being threatened with no ramen for the rest of the trip, Naruto caved. After hearing about his training and how far along he was, Hanzo couldn't help but be amazed. _His chakra stores must be very large for his age. The next generation of shinobi will be amazing._

"Naruto, you should be more careful," scolded the Hokage. "What you did was very reckless. You could have been…"

"I hate to interrupt," interrupted Hanzo, "but you are to meet the council of Amegakure. They would like to talk about the execution and several other things."

"Very well," said Sarutobi. He was about to ask to be led the way when Hanzo held up his hand. "Is there something else you need to say?"

"Indeed," said Hanzo as he lowered his hand. "The meeting will be long and not doubt dull. Since this is between you and the council I happen to be free. Allow me to show Uzumaki-san around. In fact, the village genins are having a small tournament that I think the boy would like to see."

"Taken an interest in him?" asked Sarutobi with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning on stealing him or trying to get him to betray his village," said Hanzo. "I just think that he would learn more about this village with me than he would with you in that council. That was why you brought him here, right?"

"That is correct," said the Hokage. He then let out a sigh. "Very well."

"Good," said Hanzo.

Shortly after they parted, Naruto began his tour through Amegakure. Most of the buildings seemed to have pipes coming out of them, which was interesting. After walking for a while, he learned that the village was set up by levels. The upper or higher levels of the buildings held the business and factories. The middle levels had stores and restaurants. The lower levels were mostly residential. While seeing this, Naruto noticed that most of the people in the village were wearing breathing devices that varied in size. Hanzo explained that due to the amount of rain and its consistency (nearly 24/7) that many people have a hard time breathing. In fact, some people have had their lungs filled with water after breathing too hard. The breathing devices were made to prevent this as well as help the shinobi breath underwater.

The next thing that Naruto asked was why Hanzo didn't have to go to the meeting. Wasn't he the leader of the village? Hanzo replied that he wasn't in charge of anything other than the shinobi. Everything else, from trash collection to making treaties, was decided by the council. Hanzo laughed as he told the boy that he was glad because it saved him from a lot of paperwork. Also, it allowed him to go on mission more often than the kages.

"But aren't you respected like a Hokage?" asked Naruto as they reached the training grounds.

"Well first off, I'm not a kage," said Hanzo. "There are only five people who are given that title and they each belong to one of the five major countries. I am kage level, but I don't get to be called a kage. But that doesn't mean I'm not respected." Naruto blinked in confusion. "An office or a title does not equal respect. Well, you can get it if you have them I guess. I, however, do not believe that in that. I respect ones skill. For example, I once fought against three shinobi from your village. During that fight, I saw their skill and they earned my respect. So much so that I spared their lives on the condition that they call themselves the Sannin."

"So you respect people if they are strong?" asked Naruto.

"Not all," said Hanzo. "There is also the way the person gains their strength. Take Sharingan no Kakashi for example. He is said to have copied at least a thousand different jutsus. However, the source of his power comes from an eye that he wasn't born with. He steals other people's jutsus and claims them as his own. Tell me Uzumaki-san, would you be angry if someone spied on you and took something that you worked very long and hard on? Like that jutsu you did when we first met?"

"Of course," said Naruto. Hanzo nodded.

"A true shinobi wins his battles with his own abilities and his own skills. There also a difference between a good shinobi and a great one. A good shinobi learns his jutsus while a great one makes his own." Hanzo then looked down at Naruto. "And it seems you have the makings to be a great one."

A little while later they arrived at the training field where the genin tournament was being held. In Ame, it was common for the jonin sensei's to brag about their teams' skills and their abilities as instructors. So, once every couple of mouths, they put their pride and money where there mouths were. Naruto watched in fascination as the Ame-nins used taijutsu and a couple basic Suiton moves. Some of the moves that he saw were Kasumi Jūsha no Jutsu and Oboro Bunshin no Jutsu.

"Good move son," shouted a man on the other side of the field. Naruto looked over and saw what looked like parents of some of the genin who had come to watch. That and place some bets of their own. Seeing this, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little sad and jealous which Hanzo noticed.

"I think I now know why your Hokage brought you here," said Hanzo softly. "You don't have a real family, do you?" Naruto just shook his head. "I see. While it is unfortunate, you should not use it as an excuse. I have seen many shinobi from this village grow up to be powerful without a family. Yet, I have seen others who make the excuse that they are weak because they have no family to learn from. Also remember that not having a family gives you an element of surprise." Naruto looked up and stared at the elder shinobi. "There are many people who judge others based on their families. Some will say that you are only as skilled as your family. When they look at you they will think that since you have no family you will have no skill. Well that is rubbish and a baka's belief. The harder you work, the stronger you become. Almost any problem can be overcome with hard work. Otherwise, you're just giving up and taking the cowards way out."

"I…I think I understand," said Naruto as he turned his gaze back on the parents. "But still, it would be nice to have someone to cook me dinner and stuff."

"Yes, well, that's life," said Hanzo, not sugarcoating a thing. "The way I see it, you can either whine about it or do something about it. If you lack a real family, make one." All Naruto could do was give a light nod.

When the tournament was over, Hanzo realized that it was getting late and that they should be getting back. However, a thought entered him mind. The kid had potential and he was a person who liked to reward people with potential. Usually he just let them live or something like that, but that wouldn't work in this case. No, he had to do something much more. Then, in his mind, it was decided.

Hanzo told his guards to take five for a moment so he could be alone with Naruto for a moment. This, of course, surprised them since he was never told them he wanted to be alone with someone. But they just shrugged their shoulders and walked away. It was just a kid with him after all.

"Naruto, I'm going to give you something special," said Hanzo. He then pulled out a scroll and then unsealed a much larger scroll and set it down while opening it up. "This is a summoning contract. Once you sign your name in it, you will be able to summon whatever creatures that the contract is with and they will fight with you. I would like you to sign the salamander contract."

"Really," cried an excited Naruto. Then he became confused. "Why me?"

"Lets just say that I think it will help," said Hanzo. "Also, you have skills that have yet to be tapped into. Until you do, the salamander clan will be able to help you out. They might even train you and show you some jutsus that you can use with them.

"Now, if you want to sign it you must sign it in blood."

Naruto went up to the scroll and did just that. It was a little sloppy, compared to the rest, but that didn't matter. When that was over, Hanzo showed Naruto the signs and then told him about the blood that was needed to perform this jutsu.

---

The next day, Sarutobi and Naruto were at the gates saying their goodbyes. Hanzo said goodbye to Naruto and then handed an object to Sarutobi.

"So what will happen to the Raijin?" asked Hanzo offhandedly.

"It will be placed back into the vault of my office," said Sarutobi. "There will be some new security features added to ensure that this won't happen again."

"A pity," said Hanzo. "A weapon should be used in the battlefield and not some safe. It would be a shame if it was never used again."

"Yes," agreed the Hokage. "However, if I did give it to one of the clans, the others would fight over it and say that I favored one clan more than the others."

"Then why not give it to a smaller clan or someone who doesn't have one," said Hanzo as he glanced at Naruto for a moment. "Then they couldn't do a thing about."

"Explain," said the Hokage.

"I know how arrogant some of the major clans in your village are," said Hanzo. "If you gave the Raijin to someone without a clan or is trying to build it up, you can say that you have the blade to them to help them along. Also, if any of the other clans fight or steal it, well it will be obvious and legal actions will have to take place regardless of their status. And, if they do steal it, it would be like admitting that they consider it a threat even if it is held by a nobody."

"Hmm, I think I get it," said the Hokage as he looked at the Raijin. "Well, we better get going." With that, Sarutobi and Naruto turned to leave. Of course Naruto waved for a while. Just before they were out of sight, Hanzo saw Sarutobi giving something to Naruto.

"The next generation will be very interesting indeed," said Hanzo.

Well, that's all I have for this chapter. I hope I got Yoruichi right.

Before I end, I would like to say I am looking for a new beta. Please PM me if you would like the job. It pays…nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

So how has everyone been? I hope you are doing well. Yeah, not my best opening, I'm running out of stuff to say and I'm getting depressed. Usually I have something to talk about before I start but I got nothing today. I guess it's because I am updating so fast that I am using up all of my good ideas before I can get new ones.

There is one thing though. Some of you have mentioned that I should add Urahara. I will be thinking about it and maybe I will add him on in the future. As for the salamander contract, after I wrote the last chapter I did some research. NOT THAT KIND! Anyways, despite being born in the water and returning to it to lay their eggs, salamanders have been associated with fire. Some people even believed that they were really baby dragons. I can work with that. Then there is the Hyoton jutsu that I gave Naruto. I did that for several reasons. One: when two are used at the same time it creates a tornado. Two: I can change the rules about it since it is my fanfic. And three: I just think that it is a cool jutsu. Got a problem with that? No. Good!

Wow, I did have something to say. Let's rock.

---

It was early in the morning when the two figures appeared on top of the Hokage Monument. One of them was a girl no older than 12. She had short purple hair that was tied up in the back so it looked like it was standing up. She wore a tanned trench coat, a black shirt, a yellow skirt, leg guards, and ninja sandals. Her partner had spiky yellow hair that went down to his shoulder, blue eyes, and whisker marks on his face. He had on a white sleeveless shirt, baggy white pants, and ninja sandals. Around his waist was a blue sash that had a pouch tied onto it near his rear. He had wanted to buy something with orange but Hinata, Anko, and Yoruichi smacked some sense into him. Well, Anko and Yoruichi smacked him and Hinata, after applying some healing salve to his bruises, explained why he shouldn't.

On the ground were several spray cans.

"This is such a good idea," said Anko as she smiled like a maniac. "To bad that Hinata didn't want to join in on the fun."

"Come on Anko-chan," said Naruto as he picked up a can. "You know Hinata-chan doesn't like this kind of stuff." Anko just huffed at that.

"She could have kept guard or something like that," said Anko as she looked away.

"Don't worry about it," said Naruto as he picked up another can and tossed it to her. "We just have to do this quickly or else we'll get chased again. Remember last time we got caught?" Anko shuddered. It was the worst punishment they had ever had. Detention she could handle. Cleaning up the mess was not so bad. Visiting the people she "accidentally" injured was iffy at best. But nothing compared to listen to the Hokage drone on for hours about how irresponsible they were and stuff like that.

"Never again," she said. Naruto nodded at her and then smiled.

"Now let's show these people what art is," he said.

Sadly for them, it took longer than expected. This resulted in…

"Naruto! Anko! Get back here," shouted an angry chunin as he chased the two across town.

"No way!" yelled Naruto without looking back.

"Like hell we will!" yelled Anko.

The villagers who saw this stared only for a moment before they carried on with their daily activities. Things like this were very common since the two "hell spawns" became friends. Now it was like a ritual that would take place at different times. They would cause trouble, get caught and run for it, and then Iruka would catch them. It is amazing what you can get used to over time.

Naruto and Anko were able to outrun their pursuers and hide from them effectively. After hiding behind a cloak that looked like a fence, the two chunin that were tailing them jumped right past. As soon as the coast seemed clear, they came out from under the cloak and began to laugh at them. It was truly funny seeing that they were chunins who were maybe 10 to 15 years older than them and had been outwitted by two 12-year-olds who weren't even genins. Sadly, Iruka appeared behind them and their laughter stopped.

"Naruto. Anko. What are you two doing cutting class?" Naruto turned around to see Iruka whose eye was twitching. They both just chuckled nervously before they were tied up and dragged back to the academy.

"Tomorrow is the graduation exam and you do this? If you have so much free time you should be studying so you don't fail it again!" yelled Iruka at Naruto once they were back in the classroom. The kids laughed at this.

"Yeah, yeah, I was just trying to have a little fun," commented the blond. Iruka then turned to Anko.

"The same applies to you young lady," he said as he pointed to her. "Do you really think that doing things like this is such a good idea before the day of the final exam?"

"Well it seemed like a good idea at the time," said Anko with a weak smile.

"And now?" asked Naruto as he knew what she would say next.

"It was a great idea," she said with a full blown grin. Iruka just smacked his face.

"For that, we are going to have a pop quiz on the Henge. Everyone, to the front of the class." Everyone began to complain, but did as they were told. One by one, each of the students began to transform into Iruka. Of course, all the girls were all over Sasuke when he went up. They said he was cool and amazing and all that stuff and, naturally, he ignored them. When it was Naruto's turn he did his transformation, just not into Iruka. Instead, he turned into a naked girl with pigtails. In surprise and perversion, Iruka fell backwards as a stream of blood gushed out of his nose.

"How do you like that sensei," laughed Naruto. "I call it the **Oiroke no Jutsu**."

"NOT STUPID MADE-UP JUTSU," shouted Iruka as he got back up. "THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE SO DON'T SCREW AROUND."

Later that day, Iruka was watching Naruto and Anko as they cleaned up their mess.

"You can't leave until this is all cleaned up," reminded Iruka.

"Whatever, it's not like I have anyone waiting for me back home," responded Naruto as he continued to brush off the paint.

"Same here," said Anko as she did the same.

Despite how close the two of them were, they never did move in with each other. Somehow they both knew that putting two of the most hated children in the same place at night was asking for a mob to show up and burn down the place while they slept. Then there was their already close relationship. Even though they were close, they had never been on a date. Mainly because Naruto was equally close to Hinata. But due to their closeness, rumors had spread that involved…inappropriate activates for people their age. The source of these rumors, Sakura Haruno, was repaid for these calumnies by Anko with a trip to the hospital. Sadly, that did not stop the other students from whispering.

Iruka winced when he heard that. Over the years those two had grown on him. He even remembered when he began to doubt that they were all that bad. It happened shortly after Hinata was kicked out of her clan. Neji, her former cousin, was waiting for her after school. He somehow cornered her against the wall and began to beat the living hell out of the poor girl. Before Iruka could stop it, both Naruto and Anko had stepped in. Naruto ran up to the older boy and tackled him onto the ground. Anko went to make sure Hinata was all right before helping Naruto removed some of elder Hyuga's teeth. After Iruka stepped in and separated them, he asked the two why they helped Hinata. Naruto simply said that Hinata was their friend and Anko nodded while glaring at Neji. Neji was suspended for a week for that and Iruka got an earful from the Hyuga clan. They thought that the punishment was too harsh since he only gave her a black eye and broke her arm.

That day had also had an effect of Naruto. Whenever he saw Neji fighting, he could feel the rage that the Hyuga genius felt. It was the same with Sasuke. They both used their anger as fuel and yet, even though they won almost all of the time, they never seemed happy. So Naruto decided never to go into a fight holding a grudge or anything like that: He would fight for the pure enjoyment of fighting and to protect others like he did with Hinata. That way win or lose, he would walk away with a grin.

Iruka sighed and decided to pull out his trump card.

"Hey Naruto, when you get down I'll treat you to a bowl of ramen. And Anko, I'm sure they will have some dango for you." Naruto and Anko turned to look at their sensei with a look of hope and love. With the promise of their favorite foods they got to work faster than ever.

Later, while Naruto was downing his third bowl of ramen and Anko was enjoying her dango, Iruka decided to ask an important question.

"Naruto, why did you fail last year's exam?" he asked. Naruto turned his head and gave the elder nin a questioning look. "I know you have the bunshin jutsu down pat, but last you messed up on purpose."

"Ah," said Naruto as he looked down at his bowl. The truth was he could have passed it all three times thanks to the training he got from the old man. However the first time he got side tracked while working on a jutsu and spent the entire night working on it. So when it came time to make a clone he didn't have enough chakra. The second time was because he had summoned the boss salamander and went through the trials. He was so tired the next morning that he couldn't concentrate, even with Kyuubi healing him. He then looked back over at Iruka. "I didn't want to take a chance that would get me on the same team as Neji-teme." Iruka blinked and Naruto continued. "That bastard's mad at Hiashi for forgetting to put the seal on Hinata, so he takes out his frustrations on her. There is no way in hell that we could ever work as a team. Nothing's worth that, even a year's supply of ramen."

"I see," said Iruka.

"Hey sensei"

"What is it Naruto?"

"Can I try on you hitai-ate?"

"Sorry, but you'll have to wait for tomorrow after you pass the exam." Iruka gave Naruto a knowing smile and then sent him on his way with Anko.

The next day was the big day. Naruto had arrived early to make sure he was there. When he got into the room he spotted Hinata. She was wearing a tight black outfit like what Yoruichi wore sometimes. However, lately she had been wearing a heavy tanned jacket over it. When he had asked why, she blushed and said there was no reason.

Since she had been kicked out of the Hyuga clan, people had a change in attitude with her. When she first came as Hyuga Hinata, people were polite and nice to her. Some of the parents told their children to suck up to her so that when she became clan head that she would remember them. It was always good to have the Hyuga clan on your side. Then, when she was kicked out, a lot of people asked if there was anything they could do for her. But that soon changed. Once word got out that she was kicked out for her weakness (slipped out by Neji to the children and Hiashi to the parents) people looked at her like she was a nuisance. Parents stopped telling their children to be nice to her. In the academy, some of the more stuck up girls would laugh at her behind her back.

Pity for them that changed; over the years, she rose to the spot of number onekunoichi of their year with Anko nipping at her heels. She was just too fast that no one could touch her. Little did they know, she was holding back.

"Hey Hinata-chan," said Naruto as he walked over to sit next to her.

"Good morning Naruto-kun," said Hinata with a blush. The years of being and training with Yoruichi had gotten rid of her stuttering and had giver her confidence in herself. She had also devolved a crush on the blond shortly after he saved her that day on the street. It was only when she was around him that she was a bit shy. "So are you ready for the test this time."

"Don't worry about me," said Naruto as he gave her his foxy grin that caused her to become a tomato. "I'll be fine." That was when Iruka and Mizuki entered the room.

"OK, today is the genin exam," said Iruka. "When I call your name, please come into the back room. Let's start with Mitarashi Anko." When he said that a black ball shaped object came through the window and then became a banner that said: "Mitarashi Anko-future genin!"

"Wow she pulled it off this time," said Naruto with a laugh.

"I was wondering where she was," said Hinata with a deadpanned expression on her face. Iruka did his demon head jutsu to yell at Anko before pulling her into the back room. When she emerged she was wearing a hitai-ate.

One by one, Iruka called out names to meet him in the next room to be tested by him and his assistant Mizuki. Soon his name was called. He soon found himself facing his sensei.

"O.K. Naruto," said Iruka, "all you need to do is make a clone and you pass." _Do your best._

"Right, **Bushin no Jutsu**!" a large puff of smoke appeared and filled the room. It was so thick that no one saw Mizuki placing a genjutsu on Naruto's clone that made it look half dead.

"YOU FAIL," shouted Iruka shortly after the smoke cleared.

"Hold on," said Mizuki as he tried his best to sound sincere. "He has the concept down and was _able_ to make a clone. I'm sure we could pass him."

Naruto looked up at this. His hopes were high. Maybe he would pass after all. Sadly, those thoughts vanished with Iruka's next words.

"No, we can't pass him. The other students were able to make at least three clones and they were able to walk around. Naruto's clone is useless. I'm sorry, but it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the class."

After that, Naruto sat on a swing watching the parents of the other students pick up their children as he sat on a sing. He heard people saw that they were glad he didn't become a shinobi. Anko couldn't be there for him because she was in detention for that stunt earlier and Hinata had been pulled away by Yoruichi for a moment to give her a surprise. Personally, he didn't mind; he wanted to be alone for a while. He had failed, and they had passed. If he stayed around them it would just be a reminder that they were now genin and he was still a student.

Soon Mizuki came over to Naruto and asked if he wanted to talk. Naruto agreed and followed Mizuki to the top of the Hokage Monument.

"Don't be too hard on Iruka," said Mizuki. "He just wants to see you do your best. He really cares about up." Naruto said nothing; he just looked down at the ground until Mizuki spoke again. "There is another way to pass, but it's a secret."

"What is it?" asked Naruto.

"All you have to do is sneak into the Hokages office, steal the Forbidden Scroll, and learn one jutsu from it before someone finds you," he explained.

---

Later that night, Naruto snuck into the Hokages office and grabbed the scroll. While he was making his escape, the Hokage entered the office and saw him. Thinking quickly, Naruto used his Oiroke no Jutsu on the old man, knocking him out cold. After that, Naruto quickly made his way to the place where Mizuki had told him to go to. As soon as he got there he opened the scroll.

"Ok, time to learn a jutsu" he said aloud. The first jutsu was Kage bunshin.

It was about an hour later when Iruka showed up. Naruto looked like he was exhausted.

"Hey Iruka-sensei, looks like you found me," said Naruto with a laugh.

"Naruto what are doing here?"

"I did it Iruka-sensei!" cried Naruto as he ignored the question. "Not only did I steal the scroll, I also learned two new jutsu from it. It looks like I passed the secret test."

"What secret test?" asked the dumbfounded teacher.

"The one Mizuki-sensei told me about. He said all I had to do was steal the Forbidden Scroll and learn one jutsu and I could become a genin."

"Naruto," began Iruka, but stopped when he sensed Mizuki appear on a tree branch above them.

"I see you found him first," said Mizuki with a smug look on his face.

"What's going on sensei," asked Naruto.

"Naruto, Mizuki lied to you," said Iruka as he pulled out a kunai. "He used you to steal the Forbidden Scroll for himself."

"Naruto," said Mizuki with an evil look in his eyes, "have you ever wondered why you are hated? Would you like me to tell you?"

"Why," asked Naruto.

"Don't," shouted Iruka.

"It's because you are the Kyuubi no Kitsune," said Mizuki with a look of glee on his face.

"What? That's impossible!" yelled Naruto.

"Think about," said Mizuki. "Why do you think everyone hates you? Your birthday is October tenth, the say day as the day the Kyuubi attacked. And those whisker marks. Think about the names all the villagers call you. Face it, you are the demon fox! Even Iruka hates you because you killed his parents."

Naruto fell to his knees. This was too much for him to take in. but it was beginning to make sense. Seeing Naruto in this state, Mizuki flung one of his giant shuriken at Naruto. However, it impacted with Iruka's back. When Naruto looked up he saw Iruka as he began to cry.

"Iruka-sensei, why," asked the demon vessel.

"Naruto, I'm so sorry. I was the same as you. I know what it feels to be all alone. When my parents died, I became the class clown so people would notice me and my grades slacked. I'm so sorry I never helped you when you really needed it." With that Iruka fell down. In pure panic, Naruto grabbed the scroll and ran away. Mizuki soon began to chase him and shortly after that so did Iruka.

Iruka saw Naruto jumping from tree to tree with the scroll on his back.

"Naruto," he called out. "Give me the scroll and let's go see the Hokage." Then, all of a sudden, Naruto turned and tackled him. Iruka fell down onto the ground and turned into Mizuki. Naruto jumped down onto the ground and laid it back against a tree.

"How did you know I wasn't Iruka," asked Mizuki.

Then Naruto turned into the scared chunin.

"Because _I'm _Iruka."

"I don't see why you're not helping me kill that monster. He killed your parents! You saw the way he looked. That was the look of a monster with no remorse for the lives he has taken. Help me kill him and together we can take the scroll and become powerful."

"You're right," said Iruka. "Monsters do kill without remorse and the do terrible things."

In his hiding place, Naruto began to sink into despair. Iruka thought of him as a monster as well. However, he was amazed at what he said next.

"But, that's not what Naruto is. He's nothing like the demon fox: he is a kind and hard working boy that everyone ignores. He is one of the finest students I have ever taught and will become a great shinobi one day!"

"You are a fool, Iruka. Now die," said Mizuki as he reached to his back to pull out his other shuriken. That's when Naruto's foot impacted his face. Mizuki was thrown back several feet but did not fall down. "Thanks for saving me the trouble of looking for you." Naruto ignored him rushed over to his sensei.

"I'm sorry sensei," he said.

"That's O.K., Naruto."

"How nice," said Mizuki. "Now I can kill you both at the same time!" As soon as he said that, a powerful wind erupted from Naruto that halted his movements. Branches broke and animals took shelter from its force. Slowly Naruto turned around to stare at the traitor.

"Normally, I don't go into a fight with a grudge or seeking blood. But it's too late for that. I won't let you hurt Iruka-sensei," he said. Iruka was surprised in how Naruto said it. It was calm, as if he knew there was no way he would lose. He then made the ram sign that we all know. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" and with that the field was full of Naruto's.

"Is that all you got," said Mizuki. While he was acting tough, he truly was starting to sweat. This wasn't good at all. Deciding that his best course of action was to attack first and get them by surprise. He threw his shuriken and destroyed several clones. He got creeped out when Naruto just laughed.

"You know, _sensei_," he said. "I learned one other jutsu . . ." Mizuki then heard a noise behind him and on instinct threw a kunai at the Naruto that was attacking from behind. However, when it hit the clone, it did not go puff. It went boom and Mizuki was thrown by the force. "I also learned **Bunshin Daibakuha**." When Mizuki landed all of the remaining clones moved to keep him in the perimeter. Naruto then moved over to him quickly and proceed in punching the man in the gut repeatedly until he could no longer hear the man's bones breaking.

Needless to say, when it was done, Iruka was impressed that his student had learned two powerful jutsu.

"Hey Naruto, close your eyes," said Iruka. Naruto complied and when he opened them, he noticed the Iruka's hitai-ate was no longer on Iruka's head. It was on his. Naruto began to jump for joy and his happiness was infectious.

---

In his office, the Hokage smiled. He had watched the whole thing through his crystal ball and understood why Naruto did what he did. How could he blame the boy for listening and believing what his sensei told him?

But know he had to make the teams. While he wanted Naruto to be happy, he couldn't put him with both Hinata and Anko. That would cause more rumors and they would doubtlessly spread like wild fire. Also, he believed that Hinata would be better suited on the recon team led by Kurenai. With her speed and bloodline, she would be perfect. Not to mention that the new jonin practically demanded her to be on her team. He had thought to put Anko in team 4 but decided that Sakura should be put in that team instead.

Then an idea came to mind when he saw the team 7 slot. The council had made a powerful case that Sasuke be taught by Kakashi. In principle, Sarutobi agreed that that was the best choice. Kakashi was the only person in the village who could teach the boy. Sadly, Kakashi had his flaws. The old Hokage had a long standing belief that the one eyed jonin had been failing his previous teams on purpose so that he could be Sasuke's sensei. Also, he was very lazy and would most likely ignore his other two students. When he voiced this to the council they had insisted that the Uchiha was more important. So Sarutobi was having a hard time deciding who to put in that team. He thought of Sakura first because she didn't seem to care about her training anyways, but she was now out of the picture. He needed two people who were already highly skilled above their age group who would need a sensei that could be there when they were over their heads. And there were only two that he knew of.

---

On Monday morning, Naruto sat with the others as Iruka went over the list of teams. He heard Sakura whine when she wasn't placed on Sasuke's team. Then Iruka got to team 7.

"Team 7 will be Uzumaki Naruto, Mitarashi Anko, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your sensei will be Kakashi Hatake. Team 8 will be Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hinata. Your sensei will be Yuhi Kurenai. Team 10 will be Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji. Your sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma."

"Hey wait a minute," screeched Sakura. "How come Naruto gets to be on the same team as Sasuke-kun when he failed the exam." There was a group of nods with this statement.

"Naruto took a make-up test that was ten times harder and passed," said Iruka as he set his clipboard down. "Also, these teams were selected by the Hokage himself. If you have a problem with it you can take it up with him. Now, you may go to lunch now and when you are done please wait here for your new sensei's to arrive. I wish you all the best of luck."


	5. Chapter 5

I'm sure that many of you know how I feel about Kakashi. To say I hated him would be an understatement. However, when I was thinking of this fic, I could only see Naruto on two different teams. One was Team 7 and the other was Team Gai. Now I could have switched out Lee and put Naruto on that team, but I knew it won't work with Naruto's relationship with the Hyuga clan. If I switched out Neji then there would be no conflict within the team since Naruto and Lee get along fine. I mean, that would be boring if everyone got along. Also, I wanted to do the Wave arc. So I was left with Team 7.

About the boss summon, I don't think that's off for all of you who are wondering. I mean, wouldn't that, plus his other training, bust up his still growing chakra reserves? I would think so. Summoning and learning how to fly over a period of time can do that to a person.

Looks like I was right about Jiraiya in the manga. His time is coming to an end. Just when you think he killed three of them they turn into six. Pein, you cheapskate, have you ever heard of fair play?

One last thing, I will say this one last time so please pay close attention. **HAKU'S FATHER WILL BE THE BROTHER OF KUSHINA SO NARUTO WILL NOT, AND I REPEAT, WILL NOT HAVE THE SAME BLOODLINE. I AM USING A JUTSU FROM THE FIRST MOVIE MANLY BECAUSE I THINK IT ROCKS AND WHEN THERE ARE TWO OF THEM THEY BECOME A TWISTER. IS THAT CLEAR?** Sorry but some people just weren't getting it and I was getting irked.

Let's rock!

---

"Why Kami?" cried Naruto as he ate lunch with Anko and Hinata. "Do you hate me that much? Why do I have to be stuck with Sasuke?"

"Hey Naruto-kun," said Anko as she put down her tea and then threw her last dango stick at a tree to create the Leaf symbol. "Are you done whining about this? It's starting to get on my nerves."

"Well," said Naruto as he brought a hand to his chin. "I was going to start listing the reasons why this is a bad idea; then I had planned on going over all the injustices that we have gone through in the entirety of our lives. Finally, I would have finished it all, by saying that we should be on the same team."

"I know how you feel," said Hinata as she put down her bento box. "I thought that the Hokage would put us all on the same team since we work so well together."

"I know Hinata-chan," said Naruto as he slapped his knees. "That's what I've been trying to get at. We work perfectly together. Hinata-chan finds them, I beat them up, and then Anko-chan ties them up and gets any information she can from them."

"You know me too well," said Anko with a blush. "But, I guess I can see why we are on these teams. Like Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino are on the same team because their fathers were on the same team and worked well together. I guess he's sticking with what works so he's doing it with everyone."

"I didn't know that about Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino," said an amazed Naruto.

"You slept through that lecture," deadpanned Anko.

---

Over on a different part of the academy grounds, a pink haired girl was crying her eyes out. She had not been placed on the same team as her Sasuke-kun, not only that, but also when she had asked to eat lunch with him, he just vanished. She felt like Kami hated her. (Really, it's just me.) Watching her were Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino.

"There, there," said Ino as she patted Sakura's back. "It'll be fine. Who knows, you might like your team."

"B-But I w-wanted to be o-on Sasuke-kun's sniff team," wailed Sakura. "I-It's not fair." Ino turned to the other two who were watching this and eating.

"Would you two help out here?" she asked/demanded.

"It's not like there is anything that we can do," said Choji as he continued to eat some chips. "It's the Hokage who set up the teams not us." Shikamaru sighed.

"Maybe you'll meet someone else," he suggested weakly. Sakura just cried harder and Ino shot him a dirty look. "Troublesome."

"I-It's not fair," whined Sakura. "How come Naruto-baka gets to be on the same team as Sasuke-kun?"

"Well, maybe it was because of the make-up exam he took," suggested Choji as he tossed his empty bag away and opened a new one. "Iruka-sensei said it was much harder."

"No way," said Ino. "He couldn't even make a simple bunshin. I bet he sucked up to the Hokage or something." She paused for a moment and then smiled. "Or maybe someone thought that he would make a good punching bag for Sasuke-kun." She laughed at that.

"Or maybe someone just wants him dead," said Sakura darkly, causing everyone to look at her. "My mom's always going on about how they should just kill him but no one can due to the Hokage. What if someone wanted him to become a shinobi so he could die on a mission? That wouldn't take too long since he is a talentless loser."

Shikamaru didn't say anything to this. If he had, it would have fallen on deaf ears. He had seen and heard this kind of attitude before. It was the strongest with the adults, and with the children there was a watered down version of it. In fact, even Iruka-sensei seemed to hate Naruto on the first day of class. What was most puzzling was that no one would ever give him a clear reason for this behavior. Ever his parents had tried to change the subject when he asked them one time. He wasn't so much of a friend of Naruto's but no one deserved to be treated the way that he was treated, at least, not without reason. So what was the reason that caused people to hate Naruto at the level that they did? Then he dropped his line of thinking as it was becoming troublesome and leaned back to stare at the clouds.

---

"So it looks like we'll be on the same team," said Kiba to Shino.

"It appears so," said Shino in his usual tone after a moment.

"It also looks like Hinata will be on our team," continued Kiba. "We could have done worse. Sakura and Ino aren't that good when it comes to the physical stuff. And she's not that bad looking." As he said this a smile came to his face. Shino looked at him when his insects told him of his increased pheromone level.

"I would strongly advise you from making any attempts to become emotionally involved with her," said Shino as he adjusted his glasses. "Dating within the team would cause problems and would most likely lead to our deaths. You must learn to keep your private and professional lives separated completely. Also, Hinata seems to be attached to Uzumaki." Kiba just snorted at that.

"I'm ten times better than he is. Right, Akamaru?" The little puppy on his head gave a small bark in agreement. "I look better, I'm stronger, and I come from a well known and respected clan. What does he have that I don't?"

Shino stared at Kiba for a moment and then sighed.

"He smells better," replied Shino.

---

Later, all of the former academy students went back to their class room to wait for their senseis. One by one they were called until only one team was left. That team just kept on waiting. And waiting.

Two hours later…

"Why are we still here?!" screamed Anko as she stared at the door. She then spun around to look at Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke was still in his seat, brooding away. Naruto was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. "Hey, does anyone know anything about our sensei?" Sasuke just went glared at her for a moment then went back to his brooding. Naruto sighed and decided to answer.

"I have," he said. "And it wasn't anything good. Apparently, our sensei is well known for stealing other people's jutsu." At that, Sasuke started to show some interest. "Other than that, I got nothing."

"Steals jutsu," said Anko softly as she looked back at the door. "Well maybe he should steal someone else's sense of time." She then marched over to the door and pulled out some supplies from her coat. Due to her back being turned towards the two boys, they couldn't see a thing she was doing. But, based off her killer intent, it would be messy.

Another fifteen minutes passed before Kakashi finally decided to grace them with his presence. When he reached the room he noticed an eraser being held up by the door. _Such a childish thing_, he thought as he opened the door. The eraser began to fall and then went poof. In its place was a kunai that was caught by Kakashi with little problem. However, the sizzling sound he now heard from the door had him concerned. It was an exploding note. _It was a double trap! The kunai was a distraction to keep my focus away from the note. _With that, there was a large boom. Naruto, Sasuke, and Anko covered their eyes as their sensei vanished from sight in a cloud of smoke. Pieces of dirt and wood flew at them and bounced off their skin and clothing. When it stopped they opened their eyes to see Kakashi standing in the same spot he had been without so much as a hair out of place.

"That was very childish," he said. "Well, my first impression of you is," he paused for effect; "you're idiots and I hate you." This earned him glares from everyone and he just eye smiled back at them. "Meet me on the roof in five minutes." With that he vanished in a cloud of smoke. Five minutes later they were seated in front of their lazy, one eyed sensei. "Ok, let's start with introductions," said one eye.

"Why don't you go first sensei," suggested Anko.

"Fine," said Kakashi. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have likes. I dislike…Hobbies, hmmm. I have a dream." He then tilted his head to avoid a kunai that was thrown by Anko. "Ok, blondie goes first."

"Alright," said Naruto. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like training, my friends, a good fight, and ramen. I dislike the three minutes I hate to wait for my ramen and people who think they are better than other because they belong to a big clan and things like that. My dream is to become Hokage. Hobbies: pulling pranks." Kakashi nodded and then looked at Anko.

"My name is Mitarashi Anko. I like dango, sweet bean soup, my friends, and snakes. I dislike people who think I'll turn into my grandfather just because I'm related to him and spicy food. My dream is to become the next head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation department. My hobbies are tea ceremonies and pranks that scare the living shit out of people."

"I still can't believe that you got into that," said Naruto.

"I can't believe that you like to garden," said Anko with a smirk. Naruto chose that moment to shut up.

"And last is Sasuke," said Kakashi as he ignored the other two.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I have no likes or dislikes. I don't have a dream; it's more of an ambition. I want to kill a certain man."

_I thought so_, thought Kakashi._ So I got the two pranksters and an avenger._

"Well now that that's out of the way, tomorrow we will be going on our first mission," said Kakashi. "Survival training."

"We did those at the academy," stated an annoyed Anko. She was really beginning to dislike this guy. Her eye began to twitch once Kakashi began to laugh evilly in response.

"This isn't the kind of survival training that you're used to," he said. "This is to see if you become genin."

"Hey," shouted Naruto. "We already took the exam!"

"Oh that," said Kakashi off handedly. "That was just to see if you could become genins. Out of the 27 students that graduated only 33.3 percent will actually become genins." He paused for effect. "All right then, be at training ground eleven at six A.M sharp. Don't eat breakfast for else you'll puke." He eye smiled then left.

"I think I'm going to hate that guy," said Naruto. Anko nodded as Sasuke walked away.

---

The next morning the three members of Team 7 made their way to the appointed training ground. Not seeing anyone, they decided to wait. And wait. And wait. Did I mention they waited?

Four hours of waiting later, Kakashi appeared in front of his student is a puff of smoke. Immediately following that he had to dodge another kunai that was thrown by Anko.

"Sorry I'm late," he said with an eye smile. "I got lost on the road of life." The three of them had different reactions. Naruto had an eye twitch. Sasuke was glaring at the man. Anko just pulled out another kunai and threw it at him. Only this time it was aimed at his groin. Kakashi vanished and then reappeared near some posts and sent down some boxed lunches. Then he pulled out an alarm clock and set it near the lunches. When he turned to look at his students he saw that Sasuke's eye was twitching, Naruto was gritting his teeth, and Anko was seeing red. "What?"

"Is that," said Naruto as he pointed at the alarm clock, "what we think it is?" Kakashi nodded.

"And you're still late," growled Anko. "How the hell did you ever get to be a jonin?"

"You should know that this test ends for everyone at noon," said Kakashi as he ignored that last question. The three of them gasped. While they had been waiting for him, all of the other teams were most likely finishing up.

---Elsewhere---

"Where is Haruno," said the jonin sensei for team four. The other two just shrugged. "Well, I won't tolerate this anymore. When you next see Sakura, tell her she is the reason you two were sent back to the academy. As for her, she's being bumped out of the program."

---

"Now that I have your attention I will explain the rules." Kakashi pulled out two bells. "All you have to do is get one of these bells from me before the timer sounds."

"I think you're missing one," said Naruto. "There's only two."

"That's right Naruto," said Kakashi. "There are only two bells. That means that least one of you will fail. The person who doesn't get the bells will be tied to a post and is forced to watch everyone else eat. Also, that person will be sent back to the academy." As he said this, he was looking at both Naruto and Anko, as if he was trying to guess which one would fail. He then tied the two bells onto his side. "Now, I want you to come at me with everything you have. Attack me with the intent to kill, if you don't you will never pass. Begin!" As soon as he said that, the three young shinobi vanished from sight.

---

Over with Iruka and the Hokage, everyone's favorite scar-faced chunin was looking over Kakashi's history with his genin teams. However, all he saw were the names of people he had failed and then kicked out of the program. When he reached the last page he realized that Kakashi had never passed a single student in his entire career.

"Why did you assign Naruto under this man?" asked/demanded Iruka. "I taught a lot of people who were sent to him and I know they would have become good shinobi. And look, they were kicked out."

"I did it because it is the best way for Anko and Naruto to pass," said the old Hokage.

"I don't get it," said Iruka. "How does putting them with Kakashi help them pass?"

"I have long suspected that the council and Kakashi have come to some sort of agreement," said Sarutobi. "They want him to be Sasuke's sensei regardless of the consequences. If I am right, Kakashi has been failing his students on purpose so he would be free to be Sasuke's sensei. And since it's an all pass or all fail test, he can't just allow Sasuke to be his only student. And if he fails them, the council will be on his ass. They want Sasuke to become a good shinobi as fast as possible so he can revive his clan faster."

"But if you're wrong then they still might fail," thought Iruka. "I have no doubt that Naruto and Anko will work as a team, but Sasuke is a different matter. He has the skills, but he lacks the mentality. He thinks of other as dead weight that will just get in the way. You'd sooner see Orochimaru doing a can-can dance than Sasuke working with others." Sarutobi stared at the young chunin.

". . . Never put that image in my head again," he said.

---

"So Anko-chan, how do you want to do this," asked Naruto quietly. They were hiding in a tree while staring at Kakashi who hadn't moved in the last half hour.

"Well, first we need to know how serious he's going to be taking us," said Anko. "Most likely, he'll treat us like we're a joke. So if he does then we have the element of surprise. If he does take us seriously then we'll have no choice but to bring out the big guns." Naruto's eyes widened. Not the big guns!

"Alright then," said Naruto. "I'll go first. If he isn't taking us seriously, then while I catch him off guard you can get his bells."

Kakashi scanned the area. So far their ability to hide themselves was in the acceptable range. Now he just had to wait for them to come and try to take the bells. After all, why go out looking for them when they had to come to him. _I wonder who will try first_. As soon as he thought that, Naruto jumped in front of him.

"Hey," said Naruto. "We're going to fight now."

"You know, compared to the others you're a little weird," deadpanned Kakashi. Naruto shocked him by grinning.

"I like to do things my own way even if it doesn't make sense," he said. He then began to do some quick stretches. "Now let's have a good fight."

"Very well," said a bored Kakashi. "Lesson one: taijutsu." He then reached behind his back and pulled out an orange book. In one motion he opened it and began to read. "Begin whenever you're ready."

"What are you doing?" asked an annoyed Naruto.

"It seems you really did earn your title of being dead last," said Kakashi. "What's it look like, I'm reading." Naruto's eye twitched.

"I know what you're doing," he said. "Why are you reading?"

"To see what happens next," replied Kakashi. Naruto sighed.

"This won't feel right," he said.

"Don't worry," said Kakashi. "Your attacks won't affect me at all."

"Fine," said Naruto as he charged at Kakashi. He started with a right hook which Kakashi block with one hand and without looking away from his book. Naruto tried again with his left, then his right, and then a high jump roundhouse kick. Kakashi blocked them all with ease. Naruto then aimed for the older nin's gut but Kakashi vanished from sight and appeared crouched on the ground with his hands in the tora position.

"Never allow your opponent to get behind you," said Kakashi. Anko and Sasuke tensed in fear. They knew that the tora sign was needed for katon jutsu's. "**Konohagakure Hidden: Taijutsu no Ōgi: Sennen Goroshi!**" With that, Naruto went flying into the air while holding his ass. But imagine Kakashi's surprise when Naruto did a back flip in the air and began to hover a dozen or so feet above Kakashi's head.

"Itai," said Naruto as he rubbed his ass. He then looked at Kakashi and pointed an accusing finger at him. "That was a low blow. How would you like it if someone shoved their fingers up your ass?"

"Naruto, how…how are you doing that?" asked Kakashi as he began to scan for wires. Sasuke was doing the same from his hiding sport. Finding none, he gritted his teeth. That power should be his. With it, he could easily kill Itachi.

"Oh this," said Naruto. "This is just something that I had been working on since I was little. Believe me, when I first got it working, I could only stay up in the air for a minute at most. But now, I can do it all day long." _Well, if I had breakfast this morning that would be true. Oh well, no sense bitching about it. _ Naruto smirked as an idea popped into his head. With great force he shot up and kept on going until he reached the clouds. _Shikamaru would do anything for this_. He then took a deep breath and then began to fly downward at an incredible speed. (Fun fact, the fastest wind speed is 318 mph and since Naruto can only move as fast as the wind can…hehe.)

Kakashi stared at Naruto as he came down and then pulled up before he hit the tree line. As he did this, Naruto made several clones that fell towards Kakashi. For a moment, Kakashi was confused. What was he thinking? Why weren't his clones flying around? Then he remembered the report from the Mizuki incident.

"Shit," he said as the clones hit the ground and exploded. When the smoke cleared, nothing was left of the one eyed jonin. All that was left was a crater, well that and some wood that lay in pieces.

Anko pieced it together first. She quickly began to scan the area for Kakashi. Her eyes widened when she found him.

"Naruto! Watch out," she yelled as Kakashi jumped out of a tree towards Naruto. Naruto, who looked like he was standing straight up, flung himself backwards to avoid Kakashi's lunge. Missing him, Kakashi fell to the ground.

"Well I will say this," said Kakashi as he got up and looked at Naruto. "Out of all the genin teams I've had, you are the first one to ever take me seriously when I said to try to kill me." Naruto grinned at that. "But don't let that get to your head. In order to get the bells you would have to get in close. Once you get close enough it will be easier to get you." He was right. The closer to the ground the more restricted Naruto became to objects like trees and buildings.

"That may be true," said Naruto. "But, I'm not your only opponent." Kakashi wondered if he meant his clones when he senses told him to dodge. He jumped to the left as the long, flexible blade of an Urumi (weapon the Cho uses against Kenshin) pierced the air where he once stood. He looked over and saw Anko holding the weapon with a grin on her face. She then pulled her arm back and the blade, like a whip, returned to her. While Kakashi had his eye away from his book to look at Anko, Naruto threw some of his kunai at him. Kakashi moved to avoid them and Anko lashed out with her weapon again. Kakashi pulled out one of his own kunai to block the attack but Anko saw this. With a twist of her wrist she was able to change the path of her weapon but Kakashi still managed to block it.

"Time to give up sensei," said Anko as attacked with her weapon again. This time it seemed to miss him but swerved to attack him from behind. The weapon struck him, but then Kakashi turned into a log. Kakashi appeared in the middle of the field.

"It's getting harder to enjoy my book," he said. _They are using good teamwork. Anko attacking by land while Naruto strikes from the air is a good strategy. But that's not enough. I wonder how good Sasuke is._ A sudden change in the wind caused Kakashi to look up at Naruto again to see him doing something strange. He was spinning his arm around until a small twister seemed to cover it.

"Hey sensei," said Naruto with a grin. "Let me show you what I created without the help of the academy." The twister then got smaller, beginning half way between his elbow and wrist to a half a foot from his fist. "Meet the jutsu that I perfected two years ago. **Sempuken!**" With that, he shot down towards Kakashi, who dodged it. However, he didn't get far enough away due to him miss judging the damage that it would cause. When Naruto struck the earth, Kakashi was blown away by the winds.

Kakashi slowly got up a few yards from where he was thrown. _That jutsu is like my Raikiri but with wind. _He then noticed that Naruto hadn't taken to the sky again. He was panting and beginning to sweat a little. _But it seems that he is running low on chakra. Not surprising considering he's been flying, using __Bunshin Daibakuha, and now that Sempuken at half strength. I better end this._

"Time for lesson two: genjutsu," said Kakashi he got up. He then did several hand signs and a few moments later, both Anko and Naruto looked like they were about to nod off. A few seconds after that, they were both asleep.

"My turn," said Sasuke as he appeared to challenge Kakashi. "I'm not like the others."

"Now it's time to see what the number one rookie can do," said Kakashi as he put away his book. As the two began to fight, Sakura was watching them and cheering for Sasuke in her mind. By the look of her, she had been watching him and only him since he got to the training field. She then held her breath when Sasuke touched a bell, but failed to take it. As he got up, he began to make hand signs.

_That looks like an advanced jutsu_, thought Sakura. _No one just out of the academy can do something like that._

_Not another one_, thought Kakashi.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!**" With that, Sasuke unleashed a large fireball on his sensei. When the attack ended, he saw nothing of the one eyed jonin. Then hands grabbed him from the ground and pulled him under while saying, "**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!**" Soon Sasuke was just a head. A few minutes later, he heard the sound of the alarm.

"Time to decide their fates," he said with an eye smile.


	6. Chapter 6

What is with Pein? It's just changing way to fast. One minute we think we know who he is and then the next we have no clue. Nagato was the one to have the Rinnengan and now six people who met Jiraiya on his journey have it. So how the hell is Pein?

But, we finally saw Naruto's mother. Finally. And it turns out they named him after a character in Jiraiya's books. Still, I had a feeling that Naruto was the destined child. Jiraiya did the same thing as Orochimaru and assumed that a bloodline made the difference and all that stuff. Well, at least he realized it in the end. Now, a moment of silence for Ero-sennin.

Thanks for the comments on the last chapter. Now to answer some of them. No, there will be no Wind Scar in this story and I have already given Naruto a weapon. Yes, Anko never went for the bells. Kakashi did say to come at him with the intent to kill and taking the bells off a dead body is much easier than trying it when they are alive. No, I was not being harsh with Sakura. I never liked Pinky because all she did in the first part was be, well, useless. And I can see her doing that if she'd hadn't been placed on Team 7. She'd be worried on how Sasuke was doing and would disregard everyone else. In the cannon, she broke up her relationship with her best friend for Sasuke so I don't think she would have any problem with abandoning people who she barely even knows.

Now, let's rock!

---

"Hey Hinata-chan," yelled Naruto when he spotted Hinata on the streets. Said girl turned around and saw Naruto and Anko walking towards her. They were both grinning slightly.

"Naruto-kun. Anko," she said. "How did your exam go?"

"We'll tell you over Ramen," said Naruto as his grin got a little bigger. Hinata nodded and the three of them headed towards Ichiruka's Ramen.

---

Hyuga Hanabi was at that moment walking home. As she walked she would let out a small sigh every few minutes. Her flower arrangement class had bored her to death. Again. It wouldn't have been as bad if she wasn't the only person in the class that was under fifteen. Hell, she was the youngest person in that class by at least ten years. Most of the other people in the village waited for their daughters to get into the academy to being stuff like that. But Hyuga Hiashi would never stick her in a public class since she was the clan's heir.

The young Hyuga's days followed the same pattern. She would get up early and do some light sparring. Then she would have breakfast before going from one lesson to the next. Then she would go home and eat followed by a half an hour break. Then it would be more sparring and then finally sleep. Today she was lucky that the rest of her afternoon classes were canceled for various reasons.

As Hanabi walked she saw other kids her age playing. She envied them. She knew that she had a duty to her clan, something that her father never let her forget, but still she wanted to be part of the crowd. Hanabi wanted someone to confine in when she felt her father was pushing her too hard. She wanted someone to do girl things with. Sadly, her mother had died giving birth to her and she didn't have any brothers or sisters. All she had were her father and cousin. Neji was hard to talk. He only spoke to her when ordered and the stare he gave her was ice cold. Hiashi would never talk about anything other than how her classes were going and how important it was that she succeed.

"At least tou-san is letting me join the academy," said Hanabi to no one. "Maybe then I'll make some friends."

It was then that she passed Ichiruka's Ramen stand. She had passed by it many times in the past. The scents coming from it always made her stomach growl but she never went there. Her father had told her that she should never disgrace herself by eating at places commoners eat ate. As usual, there was the same loud blond that seemed to be there all the time. With him were two girls. One had purple hair and was wearing a trench coat. She was eating dango while helping the blond tell a story to the other girl.

Hanabi stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the other girl. She had blue hair and had the same lavender eyes as her clan did. But she knew every main branch member of the family and that girl didn't have a bird cage seal on her or at least she couldn't see from her point of view. So, who was she? The blue head girl turned her head slightly and the Hanabi let out a light gasp. That girl resembled the pictures of her mother. Who was this girl? This was something that Hanabi had to find out. So she went across the street and began to spy on them.

"So how did you pass?" asked Hinata after they told her about the genjutsu.

"Well he kind of just passed us," said Anko as she took a bite of her dango. Naruto nodded as he slurped his ramen.

---Flashback---

Kakashi had placed all three of the genins in front of the posts. Sasuke began to brush off the dirt on his clothing as Naruto and Anko were released from the genjutsu.

"What happened?" asked Naruto as he slowly got up.

"You passed," said Kakashi with an eye smile. Sasuke gave him a look of superiority. Naruto and Anko on the other hand looked confused.

"Ah sensei," said Naruto first. "Not that I have a problem or anything about this but…"

"…why the hell are you passing us?" finished Anko. "We did get the bells!"

"That's true," said Kakashi. "But that wasn't the real test. The bells were a distraction so I could see how you all worked as a team." He looked at Anko first. "You seemed more interested in killing me for some reason." Anko let out a low growl as he moved over to Naruto. "You just wanted to fight." Naruto scratched the back of his head as Kakashi then looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke here thinks that the two of you are a burden that would hold him back." Both Anko and Naruto snorted at this. "However, two out of the three of you managed to work as a team. So I have decided that you all pass. Naruto and Anko may go. Sasuke, I want to talk to you."

---End Flashback---

"Wow," said Hinata as they finished the story. "I'm glad you both passed. But, I wonder what he wanted to talk to Sasuke about."

"Hopefully he's telling Sasuke that he isn't the center of the universe," said Anko before drinking some tea. "If chakra was equal to ones ego that guy would be beyond kage level."

"That's true," said Naruto after finishing his fifth bowl. "It might hurt us later on. Especially when he runs into someone later on that he is no match for. He'll under estimate the guy and then we'll all have to pay."

Over with Sasuke, he and Kakashi were doing some light sparing.

"Too slow," said Kakashi as he dodged a punch aimed at his gut. Sasuke growled as he jumped into the air and threw three kunai at Kakashi. Kakashi eye smiled at this attempt and merely pulled out his own kunai to deflect Sasuke's.

"It's not over yet!" yelled Sasuke when he landed. He then charged at Kakashi and began a series of punches that were all blocked by the jonin. This continued for another fifteen minutes. By that time, Sasuke was drenched in sweet.

"Let's end it here," said Kakashi looking fresh as a daisy. "From now on, after we do team training and missions, we will do one on one training once everyone else is gone."

"Why?" demanded Sasuke. "Do you think that I am that weak?"

"Sasuke," said Kakashi calmly. "I know all about your goal to kill Itachi. At this moment you wouldn't last one minute against him." Sasuke let out a growl and narrowed his eyes. "While Naruto does know some…interesting jutsus and Anko has her own…impressive skills, they will be no match for you once you active your Sharingan. Once it has been fully awakened you will be in a position to copy their styles and jutsus for yourself." Sasuke smirked at this.

"Is that why you really passed us?" asked Sasuke.

"Perhaps," said Kakashi with an eye smile. "I will admit that I am curious to how the Sempuken works." Then Kakashi became serious. "Alright, I want you to get some rest. Tomorrow will be a big day for you."

"Say Hinata-chan, would you like us to walk you home?" asked Naruto as they left the ramen stand. Anko gave the blond a bump on the head.

"Baka," she said. "Don't go volunteering me to do stuff!" She then gave him another bump on the head. "Besides, she's a big girl. I'm sure she'll be alright." Anko then turned to the former Hyuga and smirked. "Right Hinata?"

When Naruto had first asked her if she wanted to be walked home, Hinata's face turned bright red. However, after what Anko said it was red for a different reason. Anger. She wanted Naruto to walk home with her. However, after what Anko said, asking him to do that might make her look pathetic.

Hinata knew why she was doing this. Anko also had feeling for Naruto. How did she know this? It was simple. Hinata accidently stumbled upon Anko's pink diary with unicorns on the cover one day while she was at her place. Since then, whenever she got the chance, she would sneak a peak. It turned out that Anko had developed feeling for him about a year ago. Not surprising since they were always together and that they had the same personality.

One thing they would agree on was that they didn't want to share the blond.

"That's true," said Hinata with a smile of her own. "But since Naruto-kun did make the offer I would be happy to accept." Hinata then went over to Naruto and grabbed one of his arms. She then held onto it tightly while blushing madly. "After all, that is what a gentleman does. Right Naruto-kun?"

"I-I guess so," said Naruto nervously having no idea what was going really going on. Anko puffed her checks.

"Fine," said Anko. "Let's walk her home."

As the three left, Hanabi came out of her hiding place from across the street. _Who is she_ thought Hanabi. _If she were from the branch family she would have had the seal on her forehead. But she doesn't. Who is this 'Hinata' and why do I feel as if I know her?_

---

The 'training' of Team 7 began the next day. Kakashi told them to be at the bridge near the training grounds bright and early and then show up three hours later. That was when training began.

For Naruto, it was less than impressive. Kakashi told him to sit on top of a post with his legs crossed and placed a book on his head. He was to remain like that until Kakashi told him to stop. When Naruto asked why Kakashi told him it would help with his balance and patience.

Anko received a lesson that was meant to teach her patience as well. Basically, Kakashi dumped a bag of rice on the ground and told Anko to pick it up one piece at a time with chop sticks.

One could only imagine their fury when they saw Sasuke's training. It would start out with light sparring were Kakashi would point out flaws in the boys form. Then he had Sasuke do some strength enhancing exercises. After that, the team would be given a half hour lunch break and then some team sparring. However, Kakashi would place restrictions on Naruto and Anko while Sasuke could go all out. He told the two of them that they had to learn how to deal when their best wasn't available and to better see their flaws. In truth, however, Kakashi felt it would better help Sasuke if they trained this way. From their spars, Kakashi noted that Naruto wasn't as fast without his flying powers. Anko proved to be skilled with or without her weapons. However, it hurt her when she couldn't use a single jutsu and Sasuke could.

After that, the team would do missions or, as Anko would call them, chores. Cleaning peoples yards, racking yards, finding lost pets, unclogging toilets, they did it all. Ya, their shinobi skills were really being used.

So, time went by. The only one who had any change in their training was Sasuke. Naruto and Anko did the same thing day after day. After a while Naruto got fed up with this and tried using his kage bunshin with a henge so he and Anko could do something else. However, it did not fool Kakashi who tied them to posts. So from then on they trained after the team left with whatever daylight was left.

As for Sakura, she was kicked out of the shinobi program forever. As her former teammates really, really wanted to beat her to a bloody pulp they couldn't. Sakura was now a civilian and they were still shinobi (sort of). If they did, they would be punished and would lose their chance at becoming full genins themselves. Her other old classmates looked down at her with distain, feeling that she had just wasted their and her time. Ino just shook her head when she saw her and walked away.

After the exam, Sakura got a job working in the library. She was placed in the basement were she had to preserve newspapers and clean books. And that's enough of her for now.

---Later---

"Well done Team 7," said the old man after they had returned from bringing back Tora. "We have a couple more missions for you." He begins to shift through his papers. "We have picking up dog poop, weeding gardens, cleaning my garage, helping old ladies cross the street, and…"

"NO!" shouted Naruto.

"Make that a hell no," said Anko.

"I tired of all these chores ojisan," shouted Naruto. "Don't you have any real missions?!"

"For once I agree with the dobe," said Sasuke. "I demand a mission that that is more challenging and worthy of an Uchiha."

"Stop acting like children," said Iruka. "Team 7 has only been active for about two months now and you three are still to green. Till we feel that you are ready you will be given simple missions."

"Come on Iruka-sensei," pleaded Naruto.

"No," said Iruka. "Any higher level missions are too dangerous for you and that is that!" At that moment the Hokage stepped in.

"Allow me to explain," said the Hokage. "Missions are based on a letter system with A being at the top and D at the bottom. A-ranked missions are for jonin and ANBU. B-ranked missions are for rookie jonin and high chunin. C-ranked missions go to chunin and experienced genin. D-ranked missions are for you rookies so that you can work on teamwork. We will get the occasional S-ranked mission, but that's not for you to worry about."

"But how are you supposed to know when we are ready for something when we don't do anything to prove it?" demanded Anko. "We could hunt down that stupid cat for years and it would show how well we can perform on a higher ranked mission."

"Isn't there a mission that we can do?" asked Naruto. "We're not asking for an assignation mission or anything major, just a chance to prove that we can do something more than what we are doing now!"

The Hokage took a drag. He hated to admit it but they had a point. Perhaps it was time for them to see the real world.

"Very well," said the Hokage. "We do happen to have a mission that Team Seven would be able to do. It is a simple escort mission."

"Cool!" said Naruto.

"What kind of escort are we doing?" asked Anko eagerly. "Are we protecting some Daimyo?"

"Or maybe a princess?" asked a hopeful Naruto.

"Easy," laughed the Hokage. "I was about to introduce him. You may come in now." Team 7 turned their head to face the door on the other side of the room. Slowly it opened to reveal an old drink man holding a large bottle of sake.

"What's this?" he asked. "These are just some super brats. Especially the midget with the super stupid looking face." Naruto laughed.

"I wonder who he's talking about. A midget with…" Naruto stopped there when it began to dawn on him. Anko was only seven inches taller than him making her the second shortest one on the team. Slowly, wind began to circle around Naruto's feet. "If a fights what you want then fine," said Naruto with gritted teeth.

"Don't Naruto," said Kakashi as he held on to the back of Naruto's shirt. "What's the point of killing the person you were hired to protect."

"Who said anything about killing," said Naruto. "I was just going to beat down."

"I am the super bridge builder Tazuna," said Tazuna after he took a gulp of sake. "I am expecting super protection for you until I get back to my home country and finish the bridge."

"Alright team," said Kakashi. "I want you all pack and ready to leave in one hour. Meet at the gate."

---one hour later---

The whole of Team 7 showed up on time at the gates. When I say the whole Team 7 I mean Kakashi to.

"Oh my kami," cried Anko as she pointed at Kakashi. "It has to be a phony!" Kakashi just sweat dropped.

"It's really me," said Kakashi.

"Ya right," said Naruto. "You have never been on time since the day we meet you!"

"This is important," said Kakashi.

_And we aren't_? thought Team 7 as one. (Hey, they're acting like a team!)

"All right, let's go," cheered Anko and Naruto a few minutes later. Tazuna looked a bit worried.

"Why are you so excited?" asked Tazuna.

"Well I have never left the village," said Anko.

"The only place I have ever been to outside of here is Ame," said Naruto with a large grin. Kakashi raised an eye at that. He didn't know that. But then again, he never read Naruto's file.

"Are you sure these brats can handle this?" asked Tazuna to Kakashi. Kakashi chuckled a bit.

"Don't worry," said Kakashi. "They may be just a bunch of rookies but I have been training them very hard." Anko and Naruto turned around to glare at Kakashi. "And if things go wrong I will step in and take care of things myself. I am a jonin after all."

"I hope so," said Tazuna as he and Team 7 left the village.

"We're incredible," said Naruto as they walked. "Anko-chan is going to be the next Head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation and I'm going to be the Hokage someday. Just you wait and see. I'm Uzumaki Naruto so remember it!" Tazuna just took another gulp of his sake.

"The Hokage is the number one person in your village, right?" he asked. "I doubt that someone like you could ever make it to Hokage."

"Shut up," said Naruto. "I'm prepared to do anything to become Hokage! Once I become Hokage then even you will have to respect me!"

"No I won't," said Tazuna.

---Later---

"Hey sensei," said Anko after they had been walking for a while.

"What is it?" asked the lazy jonin.

"Are there any shinobi in Nami no Kuni," asked Anko.

"No," he responded. "If there were then Tazuna-san wouldn't have hired us. There are many different villages. However, only five largest countries hold the villages where one can receive the title of kage. They are the Mist, Leaf, Sand, Rock, and Cloud. Their leaders are the Mizukage, Hokage, Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage."

"So will we be facing any shinobi?" asked Anko hopefully.

"Doubtful," answered Kakashi.

"That's a pity," said Naruto. "I was really hoping to see some action." While Naruto said this, Sasuke and Kakashi noticed Tazuna sweat a little. Shortly after that they passed by a puddle which only Kakashi paid any notice to. After they had walked several feet from it, two shinobi from Kiri jumped out of it. They were the Demon Brothers! Silently and quickly they wrapped their chain around Kakashi and when everyone turned around they saw Kakashi being shredded.

"That's one," said one of them. They then appeared behind Naruto.

"This makes two," said the other. With the same quick motions the chain began to wrap around Naruto. It would have done the same to Kakashi had Naruto not shot up several yards in the air.

"ASSHOLES!" he screamed.

While their chains were still in the air, Sasuke managed to pin them to a tree using a kunai and a shuriken. Cursing their luck they headed towards Tazuna. Seeing this, Anko grabbed the hilt of her sword that was tied around her waist. However, before they could touch her Kakashi appeared and, just like that, they were stopped. One was caught in a neck hold while the other was being carried under Kakashi's arm.

"Sorry about that," said Kakashi with a lazy look on his face. Naruto looked over to where he had seen his sensei 'die'. All that remained were pieces of wood. He cursed himself as he slowly fell back to the earth. "Naruto, please don't run off when a fight starts. Sasuke, good job."

"I didn't run away," growled Naruto. "I was avoiding being killed and…"

"That's enough Naruto," said Kakashi. He then turned to Tazuna. "Tazuna, why did you lie to us?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Tazuna.

"The reason I didn't take this idiots out earlier was because I wanted to see who they were really after," said Kakashi. "They were after you. You hired us to protect you from bandits and things like that, but protecting you from shinobi is at least a B ranked mission. So tell why you lied to us."

"I guess I might as well tell you," said Tazuna with a sigh. "There is an evil business man named Gato who is after me. Publicly, he owns a shipping company but that's only a cover. He's a smuggler and drug dealer. He came to Wave a few years ago and took over the country. He controls all the ports and has caused our land to become isolated and impoverished."

"So why is he after you?" asked Naruto.

"Because I'm building a bridge," said Tazuna. "When it is finished, it will connect our land with the outside world and we will be able to trade freely once again and our economy will recover."

"So, if you knew this then why didn't you ask for better ninja's?" asked Anko.

"Too expensive. If I told them all of that, then I couldn't afford you guys. Please, I'll pay you all back once our economy recovers."

"I don't see why we should," said Kakashi. "It's not our problem and since you lied to us that means that the mission is terminated."

"No way," yelled Naruto. "Come on, this is our first real mission and you just want to walk away?"

"No," said Sasuke with a smirk. "You would rather fly away."

"I wasn't flying away teme!" shouted Naruto. "If I hadn't done that I would never have seen…"

"Stop it Naruto," said Kakashi as he rubbed his head. "We now have to decide on what to do."

"Please help us," said Tazuna. "But, if you don't my daughter will hate the Leaf forever and my super cute grandson will cry." Kakashi sweat dropped.

"Fine we'll help you," said Kakashi with a sigh.

"Hey Naruto," said Anko as she walked over to him. "What were you trying to say earlier?"

"I was going to say I was also looking to see if there were any other shinobi in the area," said Naruto. "As I was coming down I thought I saw one running away from here."

"That would mean they will be regrouping," said Sasuke.

"You are very right," said Kakashi as he nodded to Sasuke. He then looked at Naruto. "Well it looks like your act of cowardness paid off in the end." With that he began to walk away.

"I really hate him," growled Naruto.

---

Team 7 along with Tazuna traveled for a couple of days until they reached Nami no Kuni. A boat was waiting for them and snuck them in. Once they got to shore, Tazuna told them that they would be staying at his place. As they walked in the forest, Naruto heard a noise in the bushes and threw a kunai at it. A white rabbit jumped out of the bush and ran away.

"What are you doing dobe?" asked Sasuke.

"I thought I heard something," said Naruto in defense.

"Interesting," said Kakashi as he rubbed his chin.

"What's interesting?" asked Tazuna.

"That rabbit's fur was white," said Kakashi. "Rabbits fur changes white during the winter months, but its summer. The only other time it changes like that is when it has been kept in captivity for too long. Meaning that…GET DOWN!" With that, everyone hit the floor as a giant blade flew through the air where they had been standing. It then curved upwards and was caught by a man standing on a tree. He had dark hair, no eyebrows, bandages covering his face, and dark pants. He was shirtless showing the world his muscles.

"Well, so these are the people who defeated the Demon Brothers," said the man with amusement in his voice.

"Momochi Zabuza, I never thought someone like you would sell out to Gato," said Anko.

"Kakashi no Sharingan, I am honored that you have heard of me," said Zabuza. "My target is only the old man so if you don't want to die then just step away."

"Sorry but that is not possible," said Kakashi as his hand went to his forehead protector. He then turn his attention to his team. "I want you all to get into a defensive formation around Tazuna. Keep him safe and don't get involved with his fight." He then lifted his protector and revealed his Sharingan. "Zabuza will be fighting me."

"Ah, the Sharingan already, I am honored," said Zabuza. Naruto then raised his hand as if he were in class.

"This may be a bad time," he began. "But, what is the Sharingan?"

"The Sharingan is a doujutsu," said Sasuke. "It allows the user to see through all genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu and then cancels their effects. But, that's not their only ability."

"That's correct," said Zabuza. "The really scary thing about them is that they can copy any opponent's jutsu."

"So that's how you were able to copy over a thousand jutsus," said Naruto. Slowly a fog began to role into the area.

"Let's cut this chit chat," said Zabuza. "Hand over the old man." Naruto, Sasuke, and Anko got into a formation to defend Tazuna. "Looks like I have to defeat you then. Every well." Zabuza then jumped into the water and said, "**Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu**" With that, the mist was now everywhere.

"Be careful," said Kakashi. "Zabuza is a master with the silent killing technique. Just like it sounds, he can kill you with out making a sound or any other way of sensing him. Most likely, you'll be dead before you realize it. Also I can't use my Sharingan to it's fullest due to the mist. So keep your guard up." He paused so they could absorb this information. "But if you fail, you'll only die. No big deal really."

"What the hell?" growled Anko.

"Eight points," said Zabuza from all directions. "Liver, lungs, spine, collarbone, jugular vein, larynx, kidneys, heart. So many wonderful choices." Kakashi, who was getting tired of this, flared up his chakra to dispel this mist.

_What a powerful killing intent_, thought Sasuke. _If I make a single mistake, I'll die. I can't stand this! I'd rather kill my self than take this much longer_. Before he could carry out his plan, Kakashi spoke to him.

"Don't worry Sasuke," he said. "I won't let anything happen to you." His eyes then widened when he saw that Zabuza had appeared in the middle of their defenses. Using his speed, Kakashi raced over to them, knocking them down, and embedding his kunai into Zabuza's chest. The three genins stared at Zabuza as his chest dripped…water?

"Behind you sensei," called out Anko. As Kakashi turned around, the Zabuza he had stabbed turned into a puddle of water as the real Zabuza cut him in half. Zabuza looked very pleased with himself until Kakashi turned to water.

"A mizu bunshin," said Zabuza in shock. "He must have copied it even in the mist." Then he felt a kunai press against his throat.

"This is the end," said Kakashi. Zabuza just chuckled.

"Is it?" he asked as he turned into a puddle of water and the real one appeared behind Kakashi. "I don't think so!" With that, the real Zabuza swung his sword in an attempt to cut the real Kakashi in half. Kakashi ducked but Zabuza used the momentum of his swing and turned it into a kick that sent the real Kakashi into the water. As Kakashi slowly began to climb onto the waters surface, Zabuza made same hand signs and said, "**Surio no Jutsu**" Kakashi was now trapped in a sphere of water.

"Shit," said Kakashi in the water prison.

"Don't worry Kakashi," said Zabuza. "I'll finish you off later. First, **Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!**"

"You three are just brats," said the water clone as it appeared on dry land. "A shinobi is only a shinobi when he has gone through many life and death situations. You're just a bunch of brats playing dress up.**Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu**" The mist soon returned to the area. "I'll tell you this; you will only be a shinobi when your name appears in my bingo book."

The bunshin then raced to attack its first victim. It went right to Naruto with its sword raised high in the air. However, when it got close all of the mist seemed to vanish while it was in mid-swing. The mizu bunshin then noticed the blonds arm. There was a twister around his arm.

"Lets have some fun," said Naruto as he moved the Sempuken into a defensive stance. The mizu bunshin's blade hit the side of the Sempuken and there was an explosion. It was small, but enough so that everyone was blinded by the dust that was sent into the air. When it cleared, Naruto was the only one standing. "Hmm, I wondered what would happen if I did that. Looks like I got lucky."

"What does that mean dobe?" yelled Sasuke. "You mean to tell us that you have never used it like this before."

"Ya," said Naruto. "I mean, I missed all of the other times I came into contact with foreign shinobi to use this jutsu."

"Smart ass," said Sasuke.

"I'll tell you this much," said Naruto. "I have never used it on a person. What I just did was tilt the air current so when it exploded my enemy took all the damage." He then turned to Anko. "Hey Anko-chan, it looks like I'll have to use it now."

"Geez," said Anko as she scratched the back of her head. "Just use it already." Naruto grinned as he reached back into his pouch.

"What are you all thinking?" yelled Kakashi. "You all have to get out of here! Our mission was to protect Tazuna. Have you forgotten that?" Everyone then looked at Tazuna.

"I'm sorry for doing this to you all," he said. "It is because of me that you are in this position. Now, I don't want to die a super bad death or anything, but if you want to fight then fight."

"And there you have it," said Naruto as he pulled out the Raijin. "Hey Eyebrowless freak, I'll tell you something. I have been in life and death situations before. People have tried to kill me my whole life. I have been beaten, stabbed, starved, and I have survived it all so I can fulfill my dream. One day I will be Hokage. Do you here me?"

"Interesting," said Zabuza. "Let's see if you can back that up."

Naruto's only answer was a smirk as he lifted himself into the air and activated the Raijin. He then shot towards where Kakashi and Zabuza were standing. Zabuza, while shocked that someone could fly, got his sword into a defensive position. Naruto then veered right and began to circle around them, going faster and faster with each pass. Zabuza tried to swing at the white blur but it was going just too fast. Getting fed up with his, Zabuza threw hi zanbato which hit Naruto. Zabuza smirked until he saw the blond shinobi vanish in cloud of smoke.

"Ah, what did my kage bunshin ever do to you?" asked Naruto mockingly. Zabuza looked around for the blond only to find him floating in the air on the other side of the water sphere. "I wonder what would happen if I stabbed this thing?" asked Naruto with an insane smile. Kakashi and Zabuza began to shake their heads. Naruto nodded back at them.

"N-Naruto," stammered Kakashi. "Water conducts electricity. If you stab this thing I'll get shocked."

"So will Zabuza unless he releases you," countered Naruto. "And judging by the look in his eyes he knows that."

"Y-You're insane," said Zabuza.

"Hanging out with Anko-chan does that to ya," said Naruto as he stabbed the water sphere with the Raijin. Kakashi and Zabuza immediately felt the electricity and got the shock of their lives. After a moment, Zabuza let go and released Kakashi.

"I…hate that kid," said Zabuza. Smoke was coming off of his entire body and there was that faint smell of burnt flesh. "What the hell have you been teaching him?"

"I never ah taught him that," groaned Kakashi who was kneeling on the water. Like Zabuza, Kakashi had smoke coming off his body and smelled like burning flesh.

"You haven't taught me anything," deadpanned Naruto. "Now, where is my thank you?"

"Why the hell should I thank you?!" yelled Kakashi as he turned to face Naruto.

"I broke you out of that prison," said Naruto.

"You could have killed me!" yelled Kakashi.

"But I didn't," said Naruto with a grin. Kakashi turned back to Zabuza.

"When we get back to the village, I'm going to have a talk with the Hokage about this," he said. "As for you Zabuza, the same trick won't work on me twice."

"We'll see about that," said Zabuza. They then began to fight once again with Kakashi copying Zabuza's every motion. Naruto flew up into the air in case Kakashi got stuck again. As they fought, Naruto noticed something in the trees. It looked like someone in a mask from Mizu was watching them. Naruto kept an eye on this person until he heard Kakashi say, "**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!**" Naruto then looked down to see Zabuza being blasted by a large blast of water that sent him into a tree. "Can you see the future?" asked Zabuza as Kakashi stood above him.

"Hai," said Kakashi as he pulled out his kunai. "And your future is death." It was then that two senbons needles stuck Zabuza in the neck. After everyone was done with their looks of surprise, Kakashi went over to check out Zabuza. "He's dead."

"Thank you for your assistance," said the masked person as he came out of hiding. "I was afraid that I would not be enough to take down the legendary Demon of the Bloody Mist." The person then gave them a bow.

"An Oinin," said Kakashi.

"What's an Oinin?" asked Naruto as his feet touched the ground.

"They are a group that hunts down traitors that abandon their villages," said Kakashi. "They are to kill them and then dispose of the body so that their village's secrets won't fall into the enemy's hands."

"That is correct," said the Oinin in a very feminine voice. "Now I must dispose of the body." The Oinin then vanished and then appeared next to Zabuza. Carefully, the Oinin picked him up and the two vanished.

"That was super good work," said Tazuna. "Let me take you back to my home for some super sake and some rest."

"Hai," said Kakashi. He then noticed that something was missing. He felt his pockets and noticed that his Icha Icha book was missing. "That bastard stole the precious!" A moment later, Kakashi fainted due to fatigue and shock.

O.K. still looking for a new beta. The last one I got just isn't working out.


	7. Chapter 7

For all you who are wondering, yes I have a new beta. He is currently calling himself the Shinanigan Kid.

The latest manga was an eye opener in more ways than one. The history of Madara and the final secrets of the Sharingan revealed. Also, Itachi needs to be in a white room with padded walls. But, there is something that has been bothering me. What did he talk to Naruto about in that genjutsu awhile back? He missed his chance to get Naruto. So, maybe he's not completely insane. I wonder what would happen if the rest of the village found out about this. I wonder how they would take to a clan that kills their best friend and then pulls the eyes out of their brother for power. Ah, they're idiots. Most likely their feeling wouldn't change a bit.

To all the people who want Kakashi dead, I am sorry but not now. I need him for much later. Since we never saw how Kakashi trained them in the manga or the anime I decided to show you how I thought it was like. Some of you agree do to the evidence. Sasuke becomes faster and having better taijutsu in the wave arc and the increased jutsus in the chunin arc. I doubt that he did it all on his own. Kakashi had to have had a hand in it. Personally, I wouldn't be so pissed if he had taught Naruto and Sakura at least one jutsu.

Let's rock!

---

Kakashi slowly opened his eye and stared up at Tsunami.

"About time you woke up," she said. She then turned her head towards a flight of stairs. "Hey, he's awake!" she said in a slightly louder voice. A moment later Kakashi heard the sounds of several footsteps. Soon, he was greeted by the faces of his students and Tazuna.

Slowly, Kakashi moved into a sitting position and looked around. If his guess was right, he was in the living room of house that Tazuna lived in. There was a flight of stairs that told him this was a two story building. He could see the kitchen that was empty except for a table, some cabinets, and a few modern connivances. The furniture looked old and patched up. It looked like Tazuna wasn't kidding about being poor.

"Good to see you up," said Tazuna. "Don't worry; you're safe here in my daughter's home. I doubt that Gato will send anyone else after you defeated that jonin."

"Maybe," said Kakashi with an air of uncertainty. He then looked at his students. "You all have done well. But Naruto, you shouldn't harm your allies or argue with your sensei in those kinds of situations."

"Don't you think your being a bit hard on him?" asked Tazuna. "He did get you out of that mess after all. And besides, you won."

"He could have gotten us all killed," said Kakashi. Naruto was about to say something when a new person entered the room.

"Ah Inari," said Tazuna as he looked over at the boy. He was wearing green overalls and a blue shirt. On his head was hat. "Everyone, I would like you to met my super grandson Inari. Inari, these are the people who risked their lives to save me."

"There's no point," said Inari.

"To what?" asked Anko with a raised eyebrow.

"What you are doing," answered Inari. "No matter what you do, Gato will kill you." And with that he turned around and headed out the door.

"Inari wait," cried the boy's mother as she raced out the door after him

"Humph," said Sasuke.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," said Anko as she crossed her arms. Naruto said nothing but gritted his teeth.

"Never mind him," said Kakashi as everyone turned their attention back at him. "Right now we have more important things to worry about. The more I think about it the more I believe that Zabuza is alive."

"But we saw him die," said Sasuke.

"Think about it," said Kakashi. "An oinin is in charge of disposing of the nuke-nins body. But instead of doing it right then and there, he moved the body. Also, consider the weapon that he used. Senbon needles don't do that much damage. But an oinin has knowledge of the human body so that he would know where all the weak points are. He could easily hit a nerve that could put someone in a dead like state. That said, I believe that they are working together."

"Don't you think that you are over thinking this?" asked Tazuna. Kakashi shrugged.

"I'd rather train them from something that won't happen than to not train them for something that will happen," replied the Cyclops. "Besides, I want my book back!" Everyone sweat dropped as he ruined the moment.

---

Over in an open field, Haku examined the body of Zabuza. After a few minutes she then unwrapped some tools and selected something that looked like tweezers. Slowly she moved the tool near the man's neck in an attempt to remove the needles. However, Zabuza woke up and pulled them out himself.

"You really shouldn't do things like that," said Haku as she took off her mask. "Those needles were in deep. You could have seriously put yourself in danger. Also," reached into the large man's pants pocket and pulled out an orange book. "If you have time to grab something like this then you have time to kill your opponent."

"Sh-Shut up," stammered Zabuza as he tried to get the book back. It was bad enough that the girl was scolding him like a child, but finding out he had porn was even worse. She just didn't understand that he was a man with needs. And since they were on the run he couldn't stay in one stop long enough to meet a woman. So that book would have to do. Unfortunately for him, Haku wouldn't let him get his hands back on the book. "I would have had him if it wasn't for that gaki with the Raijin!"

"Oh," said Haku with interest. "So that was the Raijin. I always wondered what it looked like."

"The Raijin," said Zabuza as he continued to try and grab the book. "One of the five great elemental weapons. Each one, like the kages, represents one of the five great shinobi nations. I had heard that that sword had been returned home. But I never thought that a kid would have it. A flying kid at that. Now I have one more reason to go after the bridge builder. With that weapon I will be one step closer to reaching my goals."

"The Raijin or the blonde?" asked Haku.

"Maybe both," said Zabuza with a grin. He could see it now. The blond could fly into the village and drop exploding tags all over the place while he snuck in. then with the Raijin he could kill the Mizukage and take his place.

"Well you're not doing it anytime soon," said Haku in her serious voice. "It will take at least a week for these wounds to heal." She then smiled sweetly at Zabuza. "But don't worry, my cooking will speed things up a bit."

Zabuza began to sweat bullets when Haku said that. She was an amazing shinobi but was useless in the kitchen. The last time she had made him anything he could have sworn that it blinked at him. And now, in his weakened condition, he couldn't escape. Personally, he was wishing that Kakashi had gotten to him first.

---

Elsewhere, Team 7 made their way into the woods with Kakashi on crutches. The jonin's three students walked ahead of him while he talked to Tazuna who had come along just in case.

"Hey Kakashi, do you have a problem with the super midget?" asked Tazuna.

"No," answered Kakashi. "Why do you ask?"

"Well I've seen you put him down several times," said Tazuna as he took a swig of sake. "You just seem harder on the boy."

"I see," said Kakashi. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, but Naruto doesn't interest me that much. He's a dreamer with a few good jutsus with nothing else really going for him. He says he'll become Hokage, but that will never happen. I doubt he will ever make it past chunin.

"Sasuke is a different matter. He is a genius among the shinobi of his age group. He belongs to a clan with a great doujutsu. Once he awakens it he will become stronger than any of the other genins and most of the chunins. The council also knows this. That is why they are planning on making Sasuke our future Hokage."

"I don't know everything about the shinobi world," said Tazuna as he scratched his head. "But, doesn't the Hokage choose who will succeed him? That's what I heard at least."

"Hai," said Kakashi. "The council plans on making a strong case for Sasuke's selection. Sarutobi-sama will see the light sooner or later."

_I don't think I'll ever understand the shinobi world_, thought Tazuna.

"Alright, let's stop here," said Kakashi as them came into a clearing. His three students turned around and waited for their sensei to tell them what they were going to be doing. "To get you all ready in case Zabuza really is alive, I will be teaching you a technique that some jonins can't even do."

"And what is that?" asked Sasuke.

"To climb trees," said Kakashi with an eye smile. His students seemed less than impressed.

"We already know how to climb a tree," said Sasuke as he crossed his arms. Kakashi didn't say anything as he walked slowly over to a nearby tree and walked up it without using his hands. The ease in which he did it made it look more like he was walking on the ground. When he reached the first branch that looked like it would hold him he walked under it so he was upside down. He walked a little bit more before he stopped and looked down at his students.

"Did I forget to mention that you couldn't use your hands?" said Kakashi. He then began to walk back down to his students and employer. "As you know, chakra flows through the entire body. In some areas, like the hands, it is easier to focus and to mold. The feet, on the other hand, are much harder. This exercise is going to help you work on your control so that even in the heat of battle you don't waste any chakra." He was now in front of his students. He reached into his kunai pouch and then pulled out three which he then tossed to his students. "Use these to record your progress. Oh, and I suggest that you get a running start."

Sasuke smirked as he gripped his kunai. He then ran towards the nearest tree as quickly as he could. While he ran, he focused chakra into his feet right before he took his first step onto the tree. When his foot touched the bark there was a small explosion and Sasuke was thrown back. But not before he was able to mark where he stopped.

"This isn't as easy as I thought it would be," said Sasuke as he began to understand what had happened. "If I use too much then the wood explodes."

"Hai," said Kakashi. "And if you use too little then you slip right off. In order to do this you need a precise amount." He then looked over to where Naruto and Anko where and found them walking slowly up their tree with their hands in the pockets. A look of shock came on Kakashi's face while Sasuke's became distorted in anger. Kakashi had a feeling that Naruto already knew how to do this, but not Anko. As Naruto walked down he saw the look on their faces and smirked.

"What?" asked the blonde. "I've known how to do this for years. I showed Anko-chan how to do it in our second year."

"I see," said Kakashi as he ignored Sasuke's growl. "Alright then, we are going to have to make some changes. I had planned on having all three of you do this for the week, but seeing this means that two of you need other things to do. Sasuke, I want you to keep working on this until you have mastered it. Naruto, when Sasuke is done I want you to teach him one of your jutsus."

"Like hell I will!" yelled Naruto. Kakashi just gave the boy a lazy look like he didn't care.

"Naruto," he said firmly. "This is not a request, it's an order. I would do it myself but I'm in no condition. And I don't want you to teach him anything useless like the Oiroke no Jutsu that I have heard about." Naruto balled up his fists so tightly that they began to bleed. Kakashi saw this but said nothing as he turned to Anko. "You will be on guard duty starting tomorrow."

"But what about my training?" she demanded.

"Train while you guard him then," said Kakashi as he turned around and began to walk away with Tazuna. As he walked with Tazuna, Anko gave him the one figured salute.

"So," said Tazuna once they were out of range. "Explain to me how that super brooder is the best when he needs the help of the hopeless dreamer." Kakashi groaned.

"Just show me where I can get a new book," he said. Tazuna sighed.

"I'm sorry to say this," said the old bridge builder. "But Gato hogs all of those books. There's not a single one in this country." At that, Kakashi screamed.

---

Team 8 stood before the Hokage as they finished their debriefing. Since Team 7 left there had been an increase of available mission. D-ranked mission were few since most people figured that they would just save some money and do them themselves. However, the ones that were given out were the ones that no one really wanted to do. That was just how it was.

"Good job Team 8," said the Hokage as he smiled at them. "The Daimyo's wife is very pleased to have her cat back. Again. Now, I have several other missions that I could give you…" He paused there simply for the effect.

"What do you mean by could give?" asked Kurenai.

"Today Team 8 will be going on its first C-ranked mission," said Sarutobi. "The Nami Shipping Group has been hit by a number of pirates lately and has lost their last several shipments. To correct this they have put out posters looking for people to act as guards and have asked us for additional assistance. We will be paid the usual and you will be getting a tip of a thousand ryo for each pirate that you kill or capture."

"Where is the ship heading?" asked Kurenai.

"The ship is heading to a small island near the former Uzu no Kuni," replied the Hokage. In reality he had wanted Team 7 to go with them, but his concern for the reaction of Naruto's tenet caused him to reconsider. After all, Kyuubi was the one who was responsible for that lands destruction. "The pirates don't usual attack ships in that area since few venture to that area so it should be safe. Once you get to the island you will begin your next mission."

"We get two C-ranked missions?" exclaimed Kiba. "What's the other one?"

"Yoruichi-san will inform you of the details when you reach the island," said Sarutobi. He then looked at Hinata. "Yes, she will be joining you on that mission. You leave in one hour."

"You heard him," said Kurenai as she turned to her students. "Be at the north gate in one hour." The genins bowed before the Hokage and then rushed out the door to get ready. Once they had left, Kurenai turned to the old man and stared at him. "I want to know what this second mission is about before I send my team into it. And why are we meeting up with Yoruichi?"

The Hokage seemed to ignore her as he pulled out his pipe. He lit it and then took a long grab. He studied the woman before him for a while before taking one last drag.

"Very well," he said. "You can't tell anyone about this mission. You and your team are to protect Hinata while Yoruichi attends her clan's meeting." Kurenai blinked in confusion. That had not been what she was expecting.

"Ah, wouldn't she be safer in the village?" she asked.

"I had better explain," said Sarutobi. "As you know, Yoruichi is the niece of the current Daimyo. For most of her early life, she was pampered and brought up to be one of the nobles. Then, one day when she was nine, she was nearly killed in an assignation attempt. She was saved, luckily, by one of our shinobi. After that, a spark was lit that couldn't be extinguished. She wanted to become a shinobi despite her family's objections. However, they eventually gave in seeing that she would never be able to become Daimyo.

"But things are different now. The current Daimyo has no children of his own. Unless this changes his brother will remain next in line with Yoruichi in third. However, it is most likely that her father will be too old to take the thrown if that happens. To decide the best course of action the clan is having a meeting on the island that you are heading to so that it will remain a secret."

"I see," said Kurenai as she nodded. "But what does this have to do with Hinata?"

"There is also another thing that they will be talking about," said the Hokage. "The Daimyo told me before he left with Yoruichi that they want her to formally adopt Hinata as her daughter."

"What?!" Kurenai practically screamed.

"You seem surprised," observed the Hokage.

"To say the least," breathed Kurenai. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Hinata. I'm just surprised that they want her now after all this time." The Hokage took another drag before continuing.

"If Yoruichi is moved to second in line for the thrown, she will need a successor," said the Hokage. "The life that that woman leads is a dangerous one. Not to mention her personality. She has never been married nor has she had children of her own. Maybe they are hoping that adding some Hyuga blood will help their family."

"So why is her life in danger?" repeated the red eyed woman.

"Hiashi," said Sarutobi simply. "Since Hinata was thrown out, he has been worried that the Byakugan will fall into another clan. If that happens, some of the Branch members of his clan might try to get their children into the other one to save them from the bird cage seal. But now he has something far worse. If Hinata were to make her voice heard, she would have the power to help pass laws. She could help create a law that would banish the bird cage seal once and for all. If that happened, I would be forced to enforce it and Hiashi would be forced to obey. If he finds out where and when the meeting is taking place, I am sure that he will try his best to have her killed before hand."

"Does he know about this meeting?" asked Kurenai.

"Unfortunately the council was informed," said the Hokage. "And that man is on the council. He only knows about the meeting but not the time and place. The first mission is a cover. I had worked it out with the shipping company so that you will be on the right boat." He stopped to have another drag. "Have I explained everything?"

"Hai," she said as she turned to leave. After all, she had to get ready to.

---

Naruto was lying on his back on a thick tree branch on the other edge of the clearing where Sasuke was training. His hands were behind his head acting like a pillow. Anko had gone on her own to work on some snake jutsus while muttering something about lazy senseis. At least things were quiet. So quiet in fact that Naruto decided to take a nap right before he began his own training. Slowly he drifted into dreamland until…

"Get down here dobe!" yelled Sasuke from the ground. Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes while wishing that his teammate came with a snooze button. He then got up into a sitting position with his legs dangling over the edge as he looked down at his teammate.

"What do you want teme?" asked Naruto.

"You're going to start teaching me that jutsu now," demanded Sasuke. Naruto smiled as he shook his head.

"Sorry, but sensei said I only had to when you finished mastering this exercise," said Naruto who wasn't sorry at all. "And since you're down there and I'm up here, you haven't finished it."

"It's pointless," said Sasuke as he crossed his arms. "This isn't making me stronger. I need to get stronger so I can kill him. So get down here."

"Taking the easy way I see," said Naruto with a sigh. "Let me guess, you actually have to work hard at it and now you want to give up. It takes time and hard work to gain power that is worth having." Then, Sasuke did something that Naruto never expected him to do. The Uchiha reached back and pulled out six kunai. Without saying a word he threw them at Naruto. The wind user leaned back and rolled off the branch to avoid being hit. Now he was hovering in the air while looking at Sasuke. "What was that about?"

"I don't want a lecture," said Sasuke. "I don't have time for it. Every second I waste with people who are only playing shinobi 'he' gets stronger."

"So I'm just playing shinobi? So I'm just supposed to hand everything to you on a silver platter?!" yelled Naruto. "I worked my ass off for this power. If you want to get stronger then why don't you try making your own jutsu instead of waiting for others to hand you everything?!"

"I…" began Sasuke, but Naruto wasn't finished.

"Besides, you're not getting stronger while Kakashi-sensei is holding me and Anko-chan back. So if you think you're better than we are based on our practices then you are wrong!"

"You want to put that to the test?" asked Sasuke as he cracked his knuckles.

"Love to teme," said Naruto as he landed on the ground.

Not wasting any time, Sasuke ran right for the blond and punched him in the face. As Naruto took a couple of steps backwards due to the force of the attack, Sasuke managed to kick him in the chest. Sasuke then leapt toward him and continued to punch him over and over again without stop.

"Is (punch in the face) this the best (punch in the gut) you (another punch in the gut) got?" taunted Sasuke. He was about to punch him in the face again when Naruto's hand grabbed the other boy's fist. Naruto stared at Sasuke. A small trickle of blood came from his mouth. His left eye seemed to be half open. In a single motion he pushed Sasuke away.

"Hardly," said Naruto before he shot straight up into the air. Sasuke watched him as he became nothing but a small dot.

"What is that dobe thinking?" asked Sasuke aloud.

Naruto stopped shortly before he hit the cloud line. Once there he began his prefight ritual. After all, you had to get into the right mood when you do things like this. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then opened his eyes and a feral smile appeared on his face.

Sasuke stared at the dot that was his teammate. For a while it remained stationary. The Uchiha then began to wonder what was going on. Was his teammate going to run away? Did he have a plan? Was he going to use a long range attack? His thoughts were then cut short when the dot began to get bigger as Naruto fell to the ground at amazing speeds. He then veered left and Sasuke lost sight of him due to the canopy that the forest created.

Then, from Sasuke's right, Naruto came flying towards him like a human bullet, veering around so he didn't hit the tress. Sasuke grabbed his last kunai and threw it at Naruto. Sasuke watched it as it hit Naruto in the forehead. However, a moment later Naruto went poof.

"Kage bunshin," said Sasuke with gritted teeth. Sasuke's eyes then widened right before he did a back flip to avoid another kage bunshin that would have hit him from behind. When he landed, he saw another clone coming from straight towards him and another coming from the left. Sasuke dodged at the last moment so that the two hit each other. Sadly, this time there was no poof but a boom instead. The force of the explosion threw Sasuke like he was a rag doll as he landed on his chest. Slowly he got up and noticed Naruto was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed.

"You done yet?" he asked with a grin.

"Hardly," replied Sasuke as he charged at Naruto. Naruto got off the tree and began to do some hand signs. Then he yelled, "**Fūton: Daitoppa!**" and a great explosion of wind came and swept Sasuke into the air. He landed hard on a tree with enough force to hear a bone or two break. Then next thing he saw was Naruto flying towards him feet first, aimed for his chest. When it hit, Sasuke face was the picture of pain right before he went poof and was replaced with a log. Naruto turned around and saw Sasuke on a knee, panting hard. Then he saw Sasuke pull out some shuriken and then he threw them at him. Naruto smirked as he began to do several seals before shouting, "**Fūton: Kazetate!**" A twister appeared around Naruto and deflected the attacks that Sasuke threw at him. "How?" asked Sasuke as Naruto's jutsu faded.

"These were the first jutsus that I ever learned," replied Naruto. "I know one other, but I don't think I'll need it. You're done."

"Not yet," snarled Sasuke as he got up. He then began to perform his own hand signs and then yelled, "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" Naruto saw this and yelled, "**Fūton: Daitoppa!**" Sadly, as soon as Naruto did that he remembered what happens when you use wind to fight fire. The two jutsus hit each other and caused an explosion as the fire ignited the wind. When the smoke cleared, the clearing had suddenly become a lot bigger. Sasuke was knocked out and Naruto was about to lose it as well.

"Somehow I know I'm going to get in trouble for this," said Naruto as he closed his eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

Thought I would get this chapter up as soon as possible due to all of the reviews. Some of you are disappointed that I am sticking close to the cannon now. I can understand that, but I need Haku so deal with it. Also, that's to last chapters fight, I am helping the competition between Naruto and Sasuke. Some of you have said that Naruto's last jutsu should have beaten it. Please remember that it was a C-ranked jutsu and it went up against a C-ranked fire jutsu. Despite having completed wind manipulation, Naruto's wind jutsus aren't invincible and it helps to make sure that Naruto does have some weaknesses.

On the note of Kakashi, yes he is an ass. However, please remember that he asked Naruto to teach Sasuke a jutsu. He never said which one. Also, since they aren't clan protected I can assume that he can. Also, on the note of sensei's, someone mentioned that he has only seen Gai and Kakashi teaching their students any type of jutsu. Well, consider that most of them come from clans that have their own style and would want to teach their children that. Also, it is as far as we have seen. Maybe Gai taught Tenten the art of sealing.

Well, lets rock!

---

"Itie!" cried Naruto as Anko bandaged his arm. It was now late at night and the two boys were getting their injuries treated. Naruto was in the living room with his shirt off while Tsunami helped Anko with the first aid. Kakashi was in another room upstairs while he took care of Sasuke.

"Quit whining," snapped Anko. "Jeez, couldn't you have just blown him up?"

"Maybe," said Naruto with a smirk. "But it wouldn't have felt as good. Itie!" Naruto turned his as far as he could to look at Tsunami who was applying alcohol to his back.

"Sorry," she said. "But I don't want one of my father's bodyguards getting an infection. You'll just have to bare it for a while."

"So," said Anko as she got Naruto's attention back. "What do you think _sensei_ will have to say about this?" The way she said sensei sounded like it was forced and it was no surprise. Their attitude towards Kakashi had dropped and was not stopping.

"Most likely he'll yell at me for harming Sasuke," said Naruto as the girls finished their work. He then grabbed his shirt and but it back on. "He might even go as far as threatening to send me back to the academy or making sure I'm kicked out of the shinobi program."

"Ya well if that happens I'll be right behind ya," said Anko as she stood up. Naruto's face went red as he was in a very good position to see her panties but said nothing. "If being a shinobi means having to put up with dicks like him I say forget it! When we get back to the village I'm going to see if we can't get on another team and…why is your face red Naruto-kun." It was then that she realized what he was looking at. "HENTAI!" she yelled right before she slapped him.

---

"What was that?" asked Sasuke when he heard Anko's voice. He then winced in pain as Kakashi applied healing gel to his wounds. This gel was the same kind that ANBU uses to heal their injured. It worked ten times faster than anything other than a normal medical jutsu.

"Nothing much," said Kakashi. "Just those two screwing around." He then finished with gelling Sasuke's arm and went for his chest. "While I am angry at Naruto, I am also disappointed in you. We don't have time for either of you two to take a break from your training. You should be forcing on the exercise so you can be ready for the fight ahead. What if you broke an arm or a leg?"

"I never thought he was that strong," said Sasuke as he balled up his fists. "Why am I so weak?"

"He shouldn't be," said Kakashi. "But there is nothing we can do about it right now. So for now just focus on the training. Now lie down and get some sleep." As Sasuke did as he was told, Kakashi turned around to leave.

Sasuke laid down with his eyes wide open as he stared at the ceiling. In his mind he knew he had to do something about Naruto. Where had he learned how to do those things? He was always the dobe back in the academy. Was that all an act? But then again, the academy never asked them to fight with high level jutsus. What was it that made him so strong? Sasuke gritted his teeth as he came to one conclusion. No matter what it took he would gain the strength he needed. Even if it meant making his own jutsu.

---

Kakashi walked down the stairs and saw that Anko was anime stomping Naruto. He sighed at her antics.

"Alright, stop it," he said as he got their attention. Anko stopped and Naruto was covered in bumps and had swirls in his eyes. "Naruto, I want a word with you outside." Naruto only groan as he slowly got up.

Soon sensei and student were outside under the night sky. It was a clear night and the stars were shining brightly in the sky. Their reflection in the lake would make anyone sailing on it think that they were in outer space. They walked to the end of the dock and then Kakashi stopped. He then turned around and looked at Naruto for a long while.

"You know what this is about, right?" asked Kakashi.

"Hai," said Naruto. "But I didn't start it."

"I really don't care who started it," said Kakashi. "I gave you an order."

"To teach him after he mastered that exercise," said Naruto as he held his ground. "Not before. And when I said as much to him he threw several kunai at me!"

"Listen very carefully Naruto," said Kakashi. "The fight that you two had should never happen again. I don't want our forces hurt because of some stupid fight over a jutsu. Now I think I was being nice when I let you pick it instead of telling you which one. Why can't you understand our situation? I am unable to properly train him right now."

"All you ever do is train Sasuke," Naruto said with a growl. "In case you have forgotten, there are two other people that you could be helping!"

"I have my reasons and I don't have to explain them to you," said Kakashi harshly. "If you don't like how I run things then quit." Naruto said nothing back. Wind swept around him as he lifted in the air and flew back into the forest. "Where do you think your going?"

"Why do you care?" shot back Naruto as he disappeared into the night.

---

Elsewhere, at that same time, Hiashi walked into a bar about an hour away from the village. The smell was awful; Hiashi did his best not to cover his nose as he walked in. The people there were the lowest of the low. Nothing but low class people and criminals, the kind of people that Hiashi couldn't stand. However, he was meeting someone here who could help him with his problem.

"Are you Hyuuga Hiashi?" asked a voice from behind him. "Hiashi turned his head to see a man with yellow eyes and a veil covering his mouth. He was wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it.

"Hai," said Hiashi. The figure motioned to a table in the corner. When they sat down, Hiashi could see everything in the bar, including the door. But, thanks to its position, it was covered in darkness. It was a good place to do business of this nature.

"So I understand you are placing a bounty on a girl," said Kakuzu. "What did she do, run out on you?"

"In a manner of speaking," said Hiashi as he pulled out a picture of Hinata he had gotten from the village file room. "This is the girl, Hinata. I want her killed and her head brought to me. I am willing to pay 99 thousand."

"That's quite a bit of money," said Kakuzu. "I have been offered more in the past, but never for such a little girl."

"Her team is on a mission right now," informed Hiashi. "They are going to be protecting ships that belong to the Nami Shipping Group from pirates. This would be the prefect time to attack as long as you make it look like a pirate attack." Hiashi then took out a piece of paper and placed it on the table. "This tells the name of the ship, its course, and destination."

"I see," said Kakuzu as he picked up the paper. "I see this a lot. People know you have issues with the target and you would be the most likely suspect if something were to happen to her. Well, I think I can manage that. However, it will cost extra."

"How much?" asked Hiashi.

"An extra hundred thousand," said Kakuzu. "You see, I know of a couple of people who would be very useful for this kind of thing."

"I thought I was hiring you," said Hiashi as he narrowed his eyes. Kakuzu laughed.

"If an S-ranked nuke-nin was seen killing this girl they would be able to trace it back to you," said Kakuzu. "Don't worry; I have seen them take care of several other people. I'm sure they can take down one Genin and her teammates if they get in the way." Hiashi sighed.

"Very well," he said as he rose. "199 thousand, then I see her head." With that the head of the Hyuuga clan left for the door and was gone.

Kakuzu smirked under his mask. This was the easiest bounty that was ever offered to him. The Akatsuki's funds were looking well thanks to him. Now all he had to do was contact Hoshigaki Hisame and Michi. While they were both only 14, they were well trained and eager to help out in any way. Best of all, they were only ranked as C-class nuke-nins so that it wouldn't look too suspicious to see them in an act of piracy.

---

It was morning the next day as a small boat floated in the sea. In the boat was a dirty looking man with a black beard, a captain's hat, and a compass that didn't point north. There was a heavy fog on the surface that was so thick you couldn't see more than several feet ahead of you.

"Where's the rum?" he muttered to himself.

But this man plays no part in the story. He just got lost and accidently crossed over into the wrong fanfic.

"I don't like the sound of that," said Captain Jack as he looked at what was just written. Suddenly, a large ship came into view. It was one of the ships that belonged to the Nami Shipping Group. A moment later it rammed into the smaller boat.

On the deck were Kiba along with Akamaru, Shino, and Hinata. They had just left the port and were now waiting for their sensei to get down talking to the head of the Nami Group. About after twenty minutes of talking, Kurenai came out of the captain's quarters along with a Nami sailor named Reimaru. He was a balding man dress in a simple brown kimono. His eyes looked like they were closed and smiling at you that gave him a friendly appearance.

"Don't worry about at thing Nami-san," said Kurenai as she presented her team to their employer. "My team can handle this mission."

"You sure seem confidant Yuhi-san," said Reimaru. He then looked at Kiba for a moment. "Please make sure you clean up after your pup and keep him out of the storage room. Understand?"

"Hai," said Kiba as Akamaru barked in agreement. Reimaru nodded and then looked at Shino.

"You seem serious enough," he said. "But can see well enough in those glasses?"

"Hai," said Shino in an emotionless voice. Reimaru nodded again and then looked at Hinata and stopped. He seemed to be slightly nervous as he stared at her eyes for a while. He then turned to Kurenai.

"I was never told there was a Hyuuga with you," he said sternly.

"Is there a problem with that?" asked Kurenai sharply.

"No, no," said Reimaru as he waved his hands. "You see, some of my customers would like their shipments to remain private. It's like the mail; you wouldn't want someone peeking in letters, would you? I have a reputation to maintain. If my customers thought that I was looking and going through their shipments then I would lose my business."

"I understand your concern," said Kurenai. "Hinata was disowned from her clan years ago so that is why you are just finding out now. As for your shipments, my students will not be going anywhere near them unless they have to."

"That's the best I can hope for," said Reimaru with a sigh. He then turned to the genins again. "The shipment that you are protecting is very important. The crates below are being shipped to some of the nobles as well as several shops on the island. This trip will last about six days. On day five we should be able to see Uzu no Kuni. Once that happens we will be in the clear."

"Why's that?" asked Kiba.

"Have you never heard of Uzu no Kuni?" asked Reimaru. Kiba shook his head. "Years ago, Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked and destroyed it." A gasp was heard from both Kiba and Hinata. Shino just looked…the same. "After the attack was over, the plants began to die and the soil was deprived of all its nutrients. This left the survivors in a wasteland. Those who survived either moved to Hi no Kuni or Mizu no Kuni. While the land is empty, it is believed that those who venture too close will be cursed."

"Then why are we going in that direction?" demanded Kiba.

"Because it's rubbish," said Reimaru. "The only people who believe that are idiots. But, must people prefer to be safe than sorry." With that he turned as walked back to the captain's quarters. It looked like it was going to be a long trip.

---

In Nami no Kuni, Kakashi had just gotten up and was making his way down the stairs. When he made his way down he went into the kitchen and saw Tsunami. She was washing some dishes in the sink. Kakashi moved to the table and saw that there were two plates with breakfast still on them.

"Where is everyone?" he asked as he started on his meal.

"Tou-san left early with Anko-san," said Tsunami without turning around. "Sasuke-san is left to go training. Inari is up in his room right now."

"I see," said Kakashi as he fished his meal. He then got up and moved to the door.

"He never came back last night," said Tsunami which stopped Kakashi dead in his tracks. "Just incase you were wondering." Kakashi said nothing as he continued walking out the door.

---

Elsewhere, deep in the forest area, Naruto was just finishing with his warm ups. They consisted of push-ups, sit-ups, and punches. Now he was pumped up to train.

After his argument with Kakashi, Naruto flew around while trying to cool down. That proved difficult knowing that his sensei had more authority. And while in the past Naruto usually gave people like that the finger, he was now a shinobi and considered an adult. But he'd be damned if he just gave Sasuke something that he had to work out on his own.

Then an idea came to him. What if he created a better version of one of the jutsus that he learned from the scrolls and then gave Sasuke the weaker one? It would be like the Sempuken, a jutsu that didn't need seals and something that only a person who had his level of wind manipulation could use.

Now, here he was. Deciding on which jutsu to upgrade.

He sat down on the ground and began to think of the Sempuken and its flaws. It made a decent shield, but only from a single attack coming right against him. If he were to face multiple enemies then it would be useless. The memory of what happened with the Demon Brothers was proof that he did need a strong defense that could be put up quickly. Then there was the issue of range. Naruto needed to be up close to use the Sempuken. He had a few jutsus that could help in those situations, but nothing as powerful.

Naruto thought about it for a while and then came to a decision. He would flip a coin. Heads would be offence and tails would be defense. He pulled a coin out of his pocket and tossed it into the air and caught it. He then looked down and saw it had landed on tails.

"One problem done," said Naruto to himself. Now he needed to figure out how he was going to do it.

Naruto closed his eyes as he remembered how he created the Sempuken. He used the motion of his arm to help rotate the wind around his arm and then added some chakra to increase the speed, keep its form, and to keep it spinning. That was it in a nut shell. There were more complicated details of course, but they were very complicated.

With that in mind, Naruto started to think of the right way to generate wind that could protect him like the Kazetate did. Spinning each of his arms and legs seemed silly and stupid. Then he thought of something else, a powerful updraft that would send any attack straight up. The only problem was that if the attack was moving fast enough it could get past the attack. The more Naruto thought about it, the more he came to realize that there was only one way to do this. He had to spin his whole body.

Naruto stood up as got ready. He focused his wind chakra around his body and then began to spin. The air began to turn, but soon lost its form and was sent out in every direction. A second later Naruto fell down due to dizziness.

"This'll be harder than I thought," he said aloud. "I have to focus on the shape while spinning and not get dizzy. If I don't, the jutsu will fail and I'll be a sitting duck." Naruto then slowly pulled himself up and got ready again. "Let's try that again."

---

It was several days later when Kakashi came back to the house to find Naruto sitting at the table eating like there was no tomorrow. The blond was covered in dirt and smelled like he hadn't bathed in a while. On the other side of the table was a pissed off Anko. Judging by the lumps on the boys head, Anko had given him his welcome back present. Sasuke was brooding over his meal.

"I thought you quit," said Kakashi as he took a seat. Naruto stopped eating and glared at his sensei.

"Who the hell said I quit?" asked Naruto. "I just went out to train because your method sucks." A tick mark appeared on Kakashi's head. Naruto went back to eating when Inari entered the room.

"Why do you all do it," shouted Inari as he stood in the doorway of the kitchen. "What you are doing is pointless. Gato will just kill you no matter what you do." Naruto stopped eating.

"So, what's life without risks?" he asked. "The odds are against us, so what? Like hell I'm going to fail on my first real mission."

"That attitude of yours is really pissing me off," swore Inari. "What do you know about us? You think its easy living like this? You think a little bit of training can help us after all Gato has done to us? No matter what you do, he can't be beaten! So there's no point in trying."

Naruto lowered his head so that a shadow covered his face. Slowly the room became colder as he fought to keep his killing intent at bay.

"You're right," said Naruto as he slowly got up. He pushed in his chair and headed for the door. "I don't know what you have gone through. It must have been tough. But…" Naruto was now right in front of Inari as he lifted his head. Now Inari could see the rage in his eyes. "You don't know shit about me! You think you're the only person who has ever suffered. Trust me; there have been people who have had to deal with must worse with much less. You still have your mother and grandfather. So stop being a cry baby and do something or stay out of the way." With that, Naruto went to the door and left. Inari, after a moment left as well.

Later that night, Anko found the boy on the roof. She walked over to him and stood behind him.

"Well you got off easy," she said with a smirk. "Trust me, I've know that blond since forever. I remember the first time we meet. One of the teachers threw hot water all over him when he went to make his lunch." Inari turned his head to look at Anko while she continued with her story. "His skin was bright red and his clothing was damp. Almost all the other kids were laughing at him. But ya know, despite how bad his first day was, he went right back there the next day. Hell, he even got back at the teacher who did that to him. With my help of course.

"He was right about you not being the only one who is suffering. I'm a descendant of a famous traitor to my village and so the villagers don't treat me so well. And I don't have any parents to go home to. Naruto-kun is in a similar boat. The villagers hate him twice as much as they hate me. I don't know why they hate him, but I have never seen him give up trying. In spite of everything that has ever happened to him, he is still willing to put his life on the line for them. I guess that's what I really like about him." Anko then started to move away from Inari. "And that's way he hates people who just give up just because it looks hopeless. We both do." And with that, she left Inari out in the night. All alone.

---

Haku was in a field looking for herbs while wearing her bright pink yukata. Her hair was undone as well. She was looking for something to help Zabuza with some stomach pain he was having. At least Gato had a much worse reaction to her cooking. After eating one bite of it he was rushed to the emergency room to have his stomach pumped.

"Well, Zabuza-sama did warn him not to eat it," said Haku with a sigh as she continued to walk. "Maybe I should take some lessons someday." The then began to brighten up. "Then, Zabuza-sama will love my cooking. He'll love it so much that when he becomes the Mizukage I'll be his private chief." She then stopped in a clearing that looked like a disaster zone. Large pieces of earth looked like they had been pulled out, thrown into the air, and then dropped back to the ground. Almost all the flowers seemed to bend away from the center where a blond boy lay sleeping.

Haku slowly walked over to the boy to examine him. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw that it was the flying boy. She took a deep breath as she tried to decide on what she should do. Kill him and take the weapon? But, what if he didn't have it on him? Also, didn't Zabuza mention that he might also want the boy for his special ability? But then again, he did shock him. She should kill him for that alone. But then again…

"AHHHHH!" screamed Haku as she clenched her head. "I don't know what to do!"

"Try keeping it down," mumbled Naruto in his sleep. Haku looked at him while her eye twitched and tick marks appeared on her face and fist.

"WAKE UP!" she yelled while punching him in the air. A few moments later, Haku was bowing before Naruto who was in a sitting position. "I am so sorry. I don't usually lose my temper like that. I just have a lot on my mind and I'm worried about someone I care about."

"No problem," said Naruto with a grin. "I've gotten worse. You can call me Naruto by the way."

"I am called Haku," said Haku as she rose to her feet. "So did you do all of this."

"Hai," said Naruto with pride as he got up. He then looked confused as Haku began to look on the ground for something. "Lose something?"

"No, I'm looking for an herb that's supposed to grow in this area," replied Haku. "Have you seen a brownish plant that looks like a twig but with buds?" Naruto folded his arms as he got into a thinking pose.

"Hai," he said after a while.

"Really? Where?" asked Haku. _Don't worry Zabuza-sama. Once I get this herb your stomach pains will be gone. As well as that rash._

"It was over there," said Naruto as he pointed to where he had been laying. The ground there was brown and smooth with no vegetation on it at all. Haku's jaw dropped when she saw this and Naruto rubbed the back on his head in embarrassment. "Looks like I chose the wrong area to work on my new jutsu. Sorry about that." Haku sighed.

"I guess it can't be helped," she said. She then turned to him. "So, why are you making a jutsu?"

"It's my training," said Naruto with pride. "I'm trying to get stronger so I can one day reach my dream of being Hokage."

"I see," said Haku. "But, do you have any precious people?"

"What are those?" asked Naruto.

"They are people who are the most important to you," replied Haku. "They are people you want to protect and become stronger and better for." Naruto closed his eyes as he began to think of Hinata, Anko, Iruka, Sarutobi, and even Hanzo. Seeing the look on his face, Haku smiled. "I think you understand Naruto-san." And with that she left.

---

"WAKE UP NARUTO-KUN!" screamed Anko at the boy. Last night Naruto had come back late and had fallen asleep the second he walked through the door. Tsunami had gotten him in bed, but was confused by the large grin on his face. And here they were the next morning, trying to get him out of bed. "FREE RAMEN!" Still, not a stir. "Well, he's not getting up."

"It doesn't matter," said Kakashi, who was now fully healed. "Just leave him here for now. We have a bridge to guard." With that Sasuke, Anko, and Kakashi left with Tazuna towards the bridge.

---

"Remember the plan?" asked Zabuza.

"Hai Zabuza-sama," answered Haku.

"Good, this is our last chance with Gato and we need the money," said Zabuza. "Just you wait Kakashi. I'm going to stick this sword of mine right up your ass for what you did to me!"

"That would be unpleasant," said Haku. "For the sword I mean."

---

Next time: battle on two fronts. Pirates and nuke-nins oh my.


	9. Chapter 9

Damn it Itachi! How could you lose to Sasuke? HOW? The fight against Diedara lasted longer. And what is up with all the Sasuke action. I thought the name of this series, both manga and anime, was Naruto. But we haven't seen much of Naruto lately. The only break was Jiraiya and he died. Can we please focus on the main character again? I don't think I'm asking for much.

Now, before I begin I would like to answer some questions. No, Naruto isn't learning the Kaiten, but it is similar. Zabuza might win and he might lose. As I said before, I need Kakashi for something in the future. After that I can kill him no problem. When people are hateful they are stupid and don't always make sense.

Hope you all like this. Oh, and before I forget, Michi doesn't have a demon in her in this story. Also, this is for all you people who have been whining about this just being another retelling of the cannon.

Let's rock.

---

It was early morning on the seas near Uzu no Kuni. A fog lay across the seas like a blanket making it hard to see anything. This pissed off one person in particular.

"Is that their ship?" asked Hisame as she squinted through her telescope. She was the 14 year old niece of Kisame. Like her uncle, she had blue skin and slit marks on her cheeks. Her long black hair was braided down her back. Her light green outfit reminded people of a belly dancers outfit as it was nearly see through pants that only hide her more sensitive parts and her top only covered her breasts. Her body was slim so it looked really good on her. On her sides were the swords that once belonged to Kurosuki Raiga, who she had helped kill. Her hitai-ate was slashed and was worn on her head.

"Hai," said her partner Michi. She was the younger sister of Diedara. Her hair had been dyed mix of white with a few black streaks and she wore it like her brother did. Her eyes were a light blue color. She was slender and a bit tall for her age going about five inches above Hisame. She was wearing a light brown long sleeve shirt with the left sleeve missing and skirt that stopped at her knees. She wore her slashed hitai-ate around her neck.

The two girls were on a ship waiting to ambush their unsuspecting prey. The ship wasn't large, but it wasn't small either. It was designed for both speed and holding large amounts of cargo, perfect for pirates. The two girls had 'relieved' the previous captain of this ship and had taken over as the new captain and first mate. On the main deck were at least four dozen pirates, their swords drawn, ready to fight.

"All right you filthy sea dogs," said Hisame as she got into the part. "We will be raiding that thar ship over yonder. Ya can keep whatever booty ya find, but leave the genin to us." A pirate raised his hand as if he were in the classroom. "What is it?"

"Ah, we don't talk like that," said the pirate. The others began to nod and Hisame sweat dropped.

"Say what?" asked a dumbfounded Hisame.

"Well you see we all went to college," said the same pirate. "We all are graduates of the University of Mizu. But we couldn't get jobs due to company's out-sourcing. So a bunch of us got together and decided to build a boat and take people on cruises and stuff like that. But that failed and that left us with nothing but the boat. So, we became pirates." As it turns out, even this world has a problem with out-sourcing.

"I heard that genin teams always have a jonin sensei. Why do we have to fight the jonin?" asked a different pirate. Before Hisame could say anything, Michi grabbed her shoulder and stepped forward.

"I believe I can give you a good reason," as she pulled out a shinobi trading card out from behind her back. This one was brand new and had one of the newest jonins on it. She tossed it into the pirate crowd and one of them caught it. "Take a look and tell me if you are still afraid to fight her."

The pirates looked confused. What could be on this card that would make them want to fight a jonin? So, out of curiosity they looked down at the picture of Kurenai. The results were immediate seeing that most of them had little contact with women in their age group for some time.

"Holy shit!"

"She's hot!"

"Do you think there is anything under those bindings?"

"She's so hot that I would let her kick my ass anytime!"

"Why couldn't she be a he?" A moment later the person who said that was thrown overboard. Needless to say it was clear what part of their bodies these pirates were thinking with.

"So," said Michi with a smug look on her face. "Will you fight?"

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" roared the pirates as they began to get ready.

"Good," said Michi with a pleased smile. "Then set sail for the boat belonging to the Nami Shipping Group."

"You heard the lady," said one of the pirates as he took command over the others. "Make sail while the wind be at our backs."

---

Meanwhile, Kiba and Akamaru were watching Hinata. Her elbows were supporting her as she leaned over the railing, watching the waves hit the boat. The wind would blow through her hair but she didn't seem to notice. But this sight did cause drool to escape Kiba's mouth. This was it, the perfect place to tell her how he felt and win her heart over that baka Naruto.

"All right buddy, are you ready?" asked Kiba. Akamaru, who was on Kiba's head, made a whining sound. "I know she likes Naruto. But, that is no reason why I should just give up. I deserve her, not the ramen loving dobe. Just think about what life would be like once she becomes my mate."

Akamaru closed his eyes and began to picture what his master had asked. He saw an older Hinata in a civilian dress and apron feeding him a bone. Then the dog saw her brushing his fur while humming. Then he imagined using Hinata's lap like a bed to take a nap while she gently stroked his head. In the end, Akamaru barked which translated into 'let's do this' commando style.

Slowly and as casually as he could, Kiba walked over to Hinata.

"Hey Hinata-chan," said Kiba. Hinata turned her head and smiled at Kiba.

"Good morning Kiba-kun," she said as she straightened up. "Did you sleep well?"

"Hai," said Kiba as he looked nervous. He then gulped. It was now or never. "Listen, I was, ah, wondering if after this mission you would like to…"

"ATTACK!"

"…attack," finished Kiba. He then blinked. "What?! Who said attack?" They then heard clanking sounds from all around. A moment later pirates began to crawl over the railing. Kiba and Hinata backed away slowly as more and more showed up. A second later, Shino and Kurenai ran towards them run the other side of the ship along with Reimaru.

"What are they doing here?" demanded Reimaru.

"It appears they are here to engage in an act of piracy," said Shino in his normal tone.

"I know that," said Reimaru who looked like he was about to die from a heart attack. "But they shouldn't be here. Pirates stay clear from this area since we are close to Uzu no Kuni. Why did you not prevent this?" Kurenai sighed as the bald man was getting on her nerves.

"Kiba, why didn't you smell them coming?" asked Kurenai.

"It must be all the moisture in the air," said Kiba as he looked around. "But don't worry, we can handle these guys."

"No," said Kurenai. "I'll take care of these guys. I want you, Shino, and Hinata to escort our client and the rest of the crew to the storage room and keep them safe."

"But sensei, shouldn't we help you and get this over with?" asked Kiba. "We have been training hard for this moment. We can handle this."

Kurenai bit her lip. What he was saying was true. They could handle and they needed the experience. However, the crew might get caught in the crossfire or used as a hostage. Then there was the second mission. She had to make sure Hinata got to the island or else it would be a failure. She could only imagine the smug look on Hiashi's face when he found out that Hinata was dead. He would use it to say that he was right all along, that Hinata was useless. Like hell she was going to let that happen. So, she wasn't going to take any chances.

"That's an order Kiba," said Kurenai as she pulled out her kunai. "Our mission is to make sure that the cargo gets to the island. So, I want you to protect the crew and the cargo in the same room. So go NOW!"

Kiba gulped and nodded. Hinata was a bit taken back by her sensei's outburst. Shino was…Shino. The three of them then turned around and began to take the crew down to the lower deck where the cargo was held. Little did they know that on one side of the ship two girls were grinning.

---

"This sucks," said Kiba. His arms were crossed as he leaned against a giant crate. It wasn't fair. They hadn't trained as hard as they did just to be told to go hide while the adult handled things.

"I believe there is some logic to this," said Shino. "Kiba, your fighting style isn't suited for area's that have a limited amount of dry surface. This would cause unnecessary worry and thus impact the team's performance. That is why we are here."

"So you're saying that this is my fault?" demanded Kiba as he straightened up. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Hai," said Shino. "You are brash and illogical. Had you fought with Shikyaku no Jutsu you would have a much higher risk of falling over board. Such an action would cause us to become distracted and could lead to the failure of this mission." Kiba stormed over to Shino and grabbed him by the color. In response, Shino ordered his bugs to come out of his sleeves.

Tick marks were beginning to appear on Hinata's head. So far she had been trying to watch the fight that was going on with her Byakugan while her teammates bickered. The pirates, she had noticed, seemed highly motivated and they were giving Kurenai a little bit of difficulty. Not much, but some. Slowly, Hinata began to count to ten and tried to tune Kiba and Shino out.

Those two were exact opposites. Kiba was like a wild animal at times. He followed his instincts more than anything else. Saying the wrong thing could set him off. Shino was calmer and more logical. He rarely spoke to anyone unless he had no other choice or felt he had to clear something up. Sadly, he lacked people skills.

Then, something happened that sent Hinata over the edge.

"Girl," said Reimaru when he noticed the veins near her eyes. "Turn those eyes off. If you are trying to peak at the goods then I will inform the Hokage that…" He never finished that sentence. His sudden quiet caused Kiba and Shino to let go of each other and look at their female teammate. Akamaru jumped off his masters head and hid behind a box.

She was pissed. Flames seemed to dance in her lavender eyes. Her teeth were gritted tightly. What made her look even scarier was that her Byakugan was still activated. The two genins had only seen this once before and that was about a year ago. It was back in academy and Anko had somehow gotten Hinata to go on a blind date. Turned out she set Hinata up with Sasuke. Hinata was steamed by what Anko had done, but she lost it when Sasuke said that he didn't want to waste his time with a weak loser who had been kicked out of her clan. The next thing he knew was that he had a broken nose and two black eyes. (If you can't figure out why Anko did that, please go back and reread this story.)

"Would you all SHUT UP?!" she screamed. "I'm trying to watch the fight that our sensei is in. So would you two mind putting your egos in check! And I don't care what your shipment…" She stopped then and began to stare at two things. While she had been watching the fight she had focused all her attention on her sensei and nothing else. However, looking at them she was able to see through them and what was behind them. Behind the three of them were the crates and she was now looking at what was inside them. For the most part it was things like silk, cotton, and other goods. However, there were fake bottoms and placed under them were sacs of white powder. But, what really concerned Hinata was what was outside the ship.

"Katsu!" With that, a section of the hull exploded. It created a small hole that was big enough for one ore two people to step through. Luckily for Team 8 the hole was a few feet above the water. However, the two girls who were standing on the water were a problem. They stepped into the ship and then scanned the room before their eyes landed on Hinata.

"There she is," said Hisame as she pulled out her swords. "Michi, why don't you sit this one out?"

"Got a lot of pent up blood lust?" asked Michi. Before Hisame could answer, Kiba threw a kunai at them but missed. The girls turned their attention at them and groaned. Her teammates were there as well. This meant they would have to kill them as well. Then, Michi noticed Shino. "Well, well. A member of the Abumare clan. Back home, I had a friend from the Kamizuru clan who spoke about your clan." She then turned her eyes to look at her partner. "I'd better fight him." Hisame looked at Shino, then at Kiba, and then back to Shino.

"But I like guys with black hair," whined Hisame.

"I'm being nice here," argued Michi. "I wanted to blow the ship up, but you wanted to fight. So I at least get to choose who I kill."

"The reason I didn't want to blow up the ship was because we might lose the head," said Hisame as she pointed at Hinata. "We need that silly looking girls head to get the bounty. If we blow the ship up we run the risk of losing the body to the currents. Do you want sempi to be angry with us?"

Michi was about to say something when she saw a swarm of bugs coming towards them. Michi jumped to the right while Hisame lunged to the left. When Michi landed, she saw a very feral looking Kiba on all fours. Shino seemed to command the bugs to move towards her.

"Lets make this quick," said Kiba. He then yelled "**Shikyaku no Jutsu!**" and shot at her at an incredible speed. Sadly for him it didn't work as Michi jumped up and did a back flip in the air as Kiba zoomed under her.

"I bet you say that to all the ladies," said Michi when she landed. Something then caused her to look down and saw that bugs had begun to crawl up her legs.

"You should keep your eyes on your opponent," said Shino. "In case you forgot, there are two of us."

"I didn't forget," said Michi from behind Shino just before she delivered a roundhouse kick to his back. "And you should listen to your own advice." Shino was confused, how did she get behind him? He looked up from the floor and saw that his bugs were on a clay replica of her.

"Clay?" he asked.

Hisame licked her lips. In front of her was the target. She was just staring at her with her Byakugan activated calmly. Hisame loved it when her prey fought back. It made things so much more fun in the end.

"What an unlucky girl you are," said Hisame as she readied herself to fight. "Don't know what you did, but you sure pissed someone off."

"You mean you don't know who hired you?" asked Hinata. Hisame shook her head.

"Naw," said the shark girl. "Sempi met with our client and then told us what to do. A lot of money just to kill one little genin, but what the hell." She then grinned showing her pointed teeth to Hinata. "Sorry if you were trying to fish information out of me. Not that it matters because you'll be dead soon." She then rushed at Hinata with such force the wooden floor boards broke when she began. Hinata stayed were she was which confused Hisame. _What the hell is the matter with her_, thought Hisame. _Does she think she can stop me? Is she so scared she can't move? Whatever the case, she's dead!_

Now, Hisame was in front of Hinata. With both swords she made a scissor motion aimed at Hinata's neck. However, Hinata vanished before she could finish. "What the…" She was then interrupted as Hinata appeared at her side and kneed her in the chest.

"In case you are wondering," said Hinata after she took a few steps back. "That was called shunpo. And I am not some weak little girl who will just die."

"I see," said Hisame as she stood up straight. Her lips were curved into a huge grin. "That makes this so much better. I don't want this to be over quickly." She then brought her sword close tighter above her head. "One way or another I will win. And you'll see why soon enough. **Raikyuu!**" A ball of lightning formed between the blades and then it was flung at Hinata who dodged it with ease. The ball hit the wall and went right through it. Hinata saw the hole without turning around.

"Let me guess," said Hinata as she got into a stance. "It's win/win for you. If one of those blasts hits me I'm done for. And if they don't they damage the ship until it sinks. Since you can walk on water you'll be fine and it'll make it easier for you."

"Hai," said Hisame. "Not only that, I can breathe underwater. In this fight, I have all the advantages."

"That is," said Hinata, "unless I can beat you before you can do enough damage."

"Stop her before she sinks this ship," begged Reimaru. "I can't let my cargo be destroyed. I'll be ruined."

"I have a feeling you'll be ruined anyways," muttered Hinata. Hisame then raised her swords again and yelled, "**Raikyuu!**" Hinata used shunpo to dodge the attack. Then, to Hisame's surprise, Hinata used shunpo to appear in three places at once. One above her left shoulder, one in front of her stomach, and the last behind her. The three seemed to launch a simultaneous attack at each spot, delivered by a kick. While that was what it looked like, in reality Hinata was moving so fast that it only looked like she was at three spots at once. She landed a few feet away from Hisame before the shark girl fell.

Hinata was now panting a bit. Despite how well she was with the shunpo, doing something like that was a bit harder and more demanding. Also, she was nowhere near the level Yoruichi was. At most, Hinata could use shunpo maybe ninety times a day while Yoruichi could do three hundred.

"That wasn't bad at all," said Hisame, causing Hinata to gasp. Using her swords to help support her, Hisame stood back up. Hinata could see the bruises from her last attack. They were a dark purple on the blue skin of the shark girl. A thin trickle of blood was coming out of Hisame's mouth. "Not bad at all."

"But how?" asked Hinata.

"I'm a bit harder to take down than I look," said Hisame. Then she did something no one expected. Hismae flung her swords at Hinata. Hismae watched as they impaled Hinata's chest and sent her flying into the wall where the stuck to it like darts. "Game over."

---

When Team 7 arrived at the bridge with Tazuna they found it to be empty. The only thing that they saw was mist and some equipment.

"Where are all my men?" asked Tazuna aloud.

"That would be my fault," said the voice of Zabuza as the mist cleared. Standing next to him was Haku with her mask on. "They ran away the moment they saw me. Once they left, it gave me some time to do some reading." With that, he pulled out the Icha Icha Paradise book he had stolen from Kakashi and began to read it.

"So it was you who stole my precious," said Kakashi as he narrowed his eye at Zabuza. This had been the longest he had ever gone without his porn and was going into withdraw. "You'll pay for that. The only thing I have had to read was a pamphlet showing how to give yourself a breast exam." Everyone sweat dropped at that.

"I think you have bigger problems to worry about," said Zabuza as he turned the page of the book. Sure enough, Team 7 was now surrounded by mizu bunshins. "Pity the only skilled genin you have is missing. The kid in blue is shaking in fear."

"I'm not shaking in fear," corrected Sasuke with a tic mark on his head. "I'm shaking from excitement."

"Do it Sasuke," said Kakashi. A moment later all the mizu bunshins were destroyed. But it wasn't by Sasuke. Anko pulled back her arm and her Urumi came back to her.

"Could we please focus?" asked Anko. Sasuke gritted his teeth. He had wanted to destroy those clones. How dare his teammate show him up!

"An impressive weapon," said Zabuza as he closed the book and put it in his pocket. "The blade on your sword is as thin and as flexible as possible. This allows you to control every movement of the sword, with training of course. And do to its length you have a good range." He then looked at Haku. "Haku, be careful around her. She might have a few other surprises up her sleeve."

"Hai Zabuza-sama," said Haku.

"Here's the plan," said Kakashi to his teammates as he kept his eye on Zabuza. "Sasuke, I want you to take out that oinin. I'll take Zabuza. Anko…you stay here and guard Tazuna."

"Arr," growled Anko. "Fine, but if I see Sasuke go down I'm jumping in."

"Whatever," said Kakashi as he and Sasuke jumped to fight their own battles.

Sasuke pulled out his kunai and was met by Haku's senbon needle. Sasuke pulled back and tried to attack again but was blocked. Then he heard his opponent sigh. It wasn't a normal sigh, but one of boredom.

"Is something wrong?" asked Sasuke as he put some more power into his attack.

"I was hoping to fight the blond or your purple haired teammate," said Haku. "I have a score to settle with Naruto-san for the injury he inflicted on my master. The purple haired one seems to have some skills as well. You just seem to be…average."

Sasuke couldn't help but get pissed at that. But, something she said caught his attention. She knew Naruto's name, but not Anko's. Had she been spying on him or something? He didn't have time to wonder as his opponent stopped going on the defensive and started her attack. Sasuke was able to block her swings and soon they were at a stalemate.

"Looks like a draw," said Sasuke.

"Hardly," said Haku. "I have three advantages over you. The first happens to be that one of your arms is tied up so you can't make any seals. The second is that I don't share your limitations. And finally, we are surrounded by water." With that, she began to make hand sings with one hand. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and in fear. "**Sensatsu Suishou!**" Water from the ground then began to rise into the air and formed into needles. They surround the two of them and then shoot towards them. Sasuke used what he learned from his training and used a lot of chakra to push him away from the attack in time.

"It will take more than that to bring me down," said Sasuke. Haku stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.

"Baka," she said. "It looks like I'll have to up my game a bit." She then began to make some hand signs as she continued to talk. "If you thought that my last attack was my best, you are sorely mistaken. **Makyō Hyō Shō!**" The water began to take the form of mirrors made of ice. They seemed to be suspended in the air as they surround the Uchiha. Then, to Sasuke's surprise, Haku walked into one of them. Soon her image appeared on all of them.

"Oh shit," said Sasuke.

---

There was a knock on the door and a moment later Tsunami answered it. On the other side of the door were two of Gato's bodyguards.

"Well, it looks like Tazuna has one hot daughter," said one of them. The other one grabbed Tsunami's arm.

"You're coming with us," he said loudly.

"Kaa-san," cried Inari who was standing at the top of the stairs. He had left his room to see what the noise was about.

"Should we get the kid?" asked the first. The second shook his head. "Good, then I can cut him up."

"Don't you dare touch him," said Tsunami.

"Lady, you are in no position to tell us to do anything," said the second bodyguard.

"You need a hostage, right?" asked Tsunami. "If you kill him I'll bite my tongue and kill myself." The first guy groaned.

"Fine," he said as he turned around. "You're a lucky brat to have a mom like this. Maybe Gato will give her back after he's done with her."

"Not likely," snickered the other. "Remember what he did to Ai. Had her sent to the Red Light district and killed her when she stopped bringing in the customers." With that they walked out the door with Tsunami, laughing all the way.

Inari fell to his knees and began to cry. What could he do? He wasn't strong enough to fight those guys. And even if he did somehow manage to beat them, Gato would just send more. It was hopeless.

---Flashback---

"You don't know shit about me! You think you're the only person who has ever suffered. Trust me; there have been people who have had to deal with must worse with much less. You still have your mother and grandfather. So stop being a cry baby and do something or stay out of the way."

---End Flashback---

---Flashback---

"He was right about you not being the only one who is suffering. I'm a descendant of a famous traitor to my village and so the villagers don't treat me so well. And I don't have any parents to go home to. Naruto-kun is in a similar boat. The villagers hate him twice as much as they hate me. I don't know why they hate him, but I have never seen him give up trying. In spite of everything that has ever happened to him, he is still willing to put his life on the line for them. I guess that's what I really like about him." Anko then started to move away from Inari. "And that's way he hates people who just give up just because it looks hopeless. We both do." And with that, she left Inari out in the night. All alone.

---End Flashback---

Slowly Inari got to his knees. Something about their words triggered something in him. If what they said was true then he had to do something. He had to act. Inari ran down the stairs and threw open the door.

"GIVE ME BACK MY KAA-SAN!" he screamed. The two guards turned around and groaned.

"What a pest," said the first. "Let's just kill him and…" He stopped there as someone else walked out the door. It was the blond shinobi. He looked half awake as he walked past Inari and went straight for the water. He got down on his knees and stuck his hands in the water before slashing his face.

"I'm awake," Naruto cheered. He then turned to Inari. "What's with all the noise? I was trying to sleep." Everyone, including Tsunami, was eye twitching at the fact that he was that clueless.

"We'd better kill him," said the first guy.

"Yeah, put him out of his misery," said the other. Then, he noticed that the feel of Tsunami's skin had changed. If was rougher. He looked over and saw that he was holding…Naruto? "What the hell?"

"Boom," said the clone right before it exploded. The two thugs didn't stand a chance.

"Wh-What just happened?" asked a confused Inari.

"Nobody is that clueless," said Naruto. "When I put my hands in the water I was really making hand signs. I made one of my 'special' clones who switched places with your kaa-san." Naruto stopped and looked around a bit before pointing at a tree a few yards away from where the clone had exploded. "There she is." Inari looked and sure enough, there was his mother.

"Thank you," said Inari as he feel to his knees. Then, he felt Naruto put his hand on his head.

"You did well," said Naruto. "Even if it was just telling them off, doing something is better than nothing." Naruto then took his hand off Inari's head and took a few steps before turning around and grinning. "Well, I better be going. Something tells me that my team needs me."

"But it's a long way to the bridge," said Inari. "You'll never make it there in time." Naruto's grin turned into a smirk as powerful winds lifted him in the air.

"I think I'll make it," said Naruto right before he shot into the sky towards the bridge. At least, he hoped it was in the direction of the bridge.

After five minutes of not having a clue in hell where he was, he finally found the bridge. He squinted as he tried to see through the mist, but all he could see were some mirrors. Naruto hovered in the air crossed legged as he tried to decide what to do. He couldn't see a thing thanks to that mist so he might hit a friend. But, the odds of that happening were low seeing that the only friend he had down there was Anko. It would be nice to hit Kakashi, but then who would deal with Zabuza seeing that he was the only one he knew who could create a mist like that.

"Oh well," said Naruto as he straightened up. "What's life without risks? But, I better bring some back up." With that, he bit his thumb and put a drop of blood on the back of each hand. He then made several hand signs before yelling, "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" There were two puffs of smoke and when they cleared they revealed two fire salamanders, one on each of Naruto's arms. They were a dark red color with tiny black eyes. Their heads stared at Naruto's wrist and their bodies ended at his elbow with their tails stopping a few inches from his shoulders.

"Naruto-niisan," said Hinoke on Naruto's right. "What's going on? We're too high up to play."

"Baka," said Ensho who was on Naruto's left. "He summoned us to help him fight."

"What?" cried Hinoke. "But we haven't played in a while."

"Sorry about that," said Naruto. "I've been a bit busy."

"Well I'm not fighting till we play a game," said Hinoke.

"What the hell you little gaki," said Ensho. "He summoned us because he needs us. That means he might need that jutsu we worked on a while back."

"I wanna play," whined Hinoke.

"Well this is like a game," said Naruto. Hinoke looked up at Naruto and gave him a puppy dog pout.

"Really?" asked the childish Hinoke.

"Hai," said Naruto. "You two are on my team. In order to win, we have to beat up the other team. They only have two people on their team. One is a guy with no eyebrows with a large sword and the other is a guy in a mask. If we win, I'll take us out for ice cream." Hinoke's eyes widened at the sound of his favorite food.

"You don't need to bribe me Naruto-sama," said Ensho as he backed up a bit. Hinoke took the hint and backed up a bit as well. "Fighting is what I live for."

"Good," said Naruto as his right arm began to spin. "Now let's have some fun! **Sempuken!**"

---

Sasuke was now covered with needles. His opponent seemed to be able to be able to move at high speeds between the mirrors. He had tried his katon jutsu, but it couldn't melt the ice. The only good thing that had happened was that his Sharingan had activated. He was beginning to see her movements, but it wasn't enough.

"I believe it is time to ends this," said Haku as she readied herself for another attack. "Before I kill you, you should know my name. I am Uzumaki Haku." Sasuke froze.

"Did you say Uzumaki?" asked Sasuke. "The Uzumaki clan can do this?!"

"No," said Haku. "My mother's clan could." She then noticed Sasuke breathe a sigh of relief. "You know of the Uzumaki clan, don't you? I thought I was the last one."

"Hai," said Sasuke. "I know one. And he happens to be…" Before Sasuke could finish that sentence, a crack appeared on the top mirror that seemed to grow quickly followed by powerful winds.

"That can't be good," said Haku a moment before the mirror was destroyed by Naruto's Sempuken. The winds hit the ground and threw Sasuke against a mirror where he hit his head and passed out. Naruto landed on the ground and saw the damage he caused. He then raised his fist and stared at it.

"This is so cool," he said. "I bet the Sempuken can smash through anything!" He then saw the mirror reform and looked at one of the Haku's. "Ready for round two?"


	10. Chapter 10

Itachi was so close! He was three seconds from getting Sasuke's eyes and he died. I was loving that chapter until the end. I mean, Sasuke looked like a scared little child as he threw all those kunai at his brother just to have no effect on him. I thought he was going to wet himself!

I got my hands on The Arc of Truth. Now that is how you end a series! The only thing that could have made it better would be more space battles. The IOA has shit for brains for bringing back the replicators. I mean, they should have more faith in SG-1! How many times did they save the world? Half of them were on crazy chances. I just wish that the US Air Force would decide to start funding them again so they could cut their ties with the IOA. 

Now, I have said this so many times that it is starting to get annoying. Naruto will not have a bloodline. I mean, the people in the first Naruto movie didn't have the bloodline and they still used ice based jutsus. Even Kakashi did one.

---

The land was dead. The tree's looked like fossils. The rivers and lakes had run dry, as if all the water had fallen through the cracks at the bottom. The ground, once lush with grass, was now bare and full of cracks. All this happened in three days in Uzu no Kuni.

Three days ago, Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked. The Uzu-nins did their best to stop it, but their skills were not enough to take done the large beast. While they fought the beast, the head of the Uzumaki clan sought out the only man who could summon the creature. He found the man sitting on a hilltop watching the death and destruction with a look of glee on his face.

The man had shown up earlier that day. He claimed to be an envoy from Konoha and claimed that their village wished to make an alliance with them during this time of war. He was, of course, treated with the upmost respect. Then, as he was touring the village, he stopped and summoned the Kyuubi in front of everyone and then vanished.

The head of the Uzumaki clan was a man who loved his home and would do anything to protect it. That is why he fought Uchiha Madara. At the cost of his own life, he managed to defeat Madara and believed that he had killed the bastard. Before he died the head of the Uzumaki clan called over the only witness to the fight, his own daughter, and told her the secrets of their clan's origins. With his last breath he made her promise to revive the clan. Uzumaki Kushina agreed.

That was three days ago. Now the population of Uzu was leaving their homeland. Kushina was helping people who were getting ready to board the boats to Hi no Kuni when she realized that her younger brother was not there. Muttering to herself she left her duties to find him. She couldn't believe he was acting like a spoiled brat. He wasn't the only one who lost someone, yet he carried on like some tragic victim. He wasn't even there when their father died! She found he five minutes later standing at the edge of the village. Every urge to punch him seemed to vanish.

"Hey ototo, let's get going," she said. Her brother just turned around and looked at her with piercing eyes. The same eyes he had since he learned that she planned on moving them to Hi no Kuni.

"I'm not going to Fire Country," he said causing Kushina to blink.

"Why not?" she asked as she put her hands on her hips.

"Because I'm going with Mizu no Kuni with some of the others," he replied. "They have the right idea about freaks."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Kushina as she began to grow worried.

"Haven't you heard?" he asked. "There is a small group of people who are hunting down people with a kekkei genkai. Right now their numbers are small but they are growing each day. The only way for anyone to be safe is if we kill all those monsters!" Kushina stared at her brother for a moment. Her face then twisted into an expression of anger as she raised her fist and hit him over the head. A large bump appeared on the head of her brother and he then looked at her with an equally angry expression. "What the hell?"

"You know why," she said. "You can't judge everyone with a kekkei genkai based on one bad experience. I have met several people with them and they were very nice."

"So was Uchiha Madara when he showed up," countered her brother. "Then he showed his true colors when he summoned the Kyuubi right in our village. They're all monsters that only look like humans. If you can't see the truth right in front of your eyes then you really are a baka and a dobe! Because only people like that would be foolish enough to stand by their kind after something like this. Hell, you want to go to the village where the Sharingan is from."

"I'm going there because I want to continue being a shinobi," replied Kushina. "They happen to be the strongest village at this moment and I want to be the best. I'm not going to let a little thing like my home being destroyed keep me from fulfilling my dream." She then paused and looked at her brother with a sad look that made him take a step back. "Tell me one thing. If you found a child with a kekkei genkai, what would you do?"

"I would kill the little freak," replied her brother. "While it was small and couldn't harm anyone else." With that, Kushina turned around and walked away with tears rolling down her eyes. The brother she had known was dead.

---

"Game over," said Hisame as she watched Hinata become impaled on the wall. However, her grin vanished as quickly as Hinata's body did leaving behind only her jacket. "What the…" She never got to finish that as Hinata suddenly appeared couched at her feet. Hinata, while remaining crouched, rolled onto her hands and then used them like a spring to shot upwards. She then kicked upwards and right into Hisame's jaw. Michi turned away from her fight to see her partner fall to the floor.

"How the hell did she do that?" growled Michi with gritted teeth.

"It's called Utsusemi," said Hinata. She now looked like a different person without her jacket. Her figure was exposed to the world and it seemed to her male teammates that Inoand Anko were not as 'gifted' as they assumed. Her shirt was black and clung to her body like a second layer of skin. Her back was completely bare. "I had already moved when your partner 'killed' me. In reality, what she hit was an after image."

Michi said nothing. She looked at Hisame lying there on the floor knowing she wouldn't be able to get up. Then she saw the bug boy and his dog loving sidekick get up. As Michi looked at Hinata once again she began to assess the situation. Her teammate was down and any moment a jonin would be joining the fight. Not only that, their intelligence about the target was way off. She was supposed to be a weak little girl. This mission was a failure.

"Looks like we underestimated you," said Michi as she slowly reached behind her. "Believe me when I say this isn't over." Michi then pulled out a light tag from behind her back and tossed it at Hinata. Michi then closed her eyes as a bright light blinded everyone in the room.

When Hinata opened her eyes, the first thing that she noticed was that Michi was gone. She then scanned the room and saw that Hisame and her swords were gone as well. She then looked at Kiba and Shino to see how they were doing. Kiba looked a little sore and Shino looked a little ruffed up. But other than that they were fine.

"Damn Hinata-chan," said Kiba as he walked over to her while wincing slightly. "That was awesome. I had no idea you could kick ass like that!"

"She was amazing indeed," said Shino. "However our performances were lacking. That nin took us down too easily. We will need to work harder so that something like this doesn't happen again." Before Hinata could say anything to cheer them up, Kurenai came down.

"Damn those horny bastards," she muttered. She then noticed the many holes in the walls and her students exhausted appearances. "What happened down here?"

"The battle on the deck was a diversion," said Shino. "Most likely those pirates you fought were pawns. While you fought them, two real shinobi, most likely chunin, came in here and attacked us. I believe that their target was Hinata."

"I see," said Kurenai as she crossed her arms. "I should have been here to help or expected something like this."

"Sensei, it's not your fault," said Hinata. "But we'll talk about that later. Right now there is something that you should see." Hinata then walked over to the crates and kicked one at its base creating a hole. Items spilled out including a baggie full of a white powder. And it wasn't sugar. Hinata then tossed it at her sensei who caught it.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked. It all made sense now. Why he didn't want a Hyuuga on the ship. Why he wanted Akamaru to stay out of this room. He was a drug dealer using his families shipping company as a front. She turned to Reimaru and gave him a phony sweet smile. "Don't worry; we'll make sure this gets to its destination. And afterwards, we'll inform the authorities about this."

---

"Damn that bitch!" screamed Michi. She was sitting cross legged on a giant clay turtle that was large enough to carry three people. Next to her was Hisame who was still out cold and lying on the shell. Michi had planned to use their ship to blast at them from a distance but apparently some dirty rum loving pirate had taken it while they were fighting. Now she had to go and inform the others that they failed to kill a genin. Her brother would never let her forget it. She could just here the snide comments that her art wasn't true art anymore. "I swear I'll kill that pale eyed bitch if it's the last thing I ever do!"

---

Naruto grinned at his opponent. Or at least his opponents reflection in one of the mirrors. It's kind of hard to tell which one was the real one when they all look the same.

"Naruto-san," said Haku. "I have no desire to harm you. If you promise not to interfere with our mission then I will let you and your teammates live."

"Hey Naruto-niisan, how did he know your name?" asked Hinoke.

"No clue," said Naruto to his summoned salamander. Then he began to speak to his opponent. "I'm not going to let you kill that old drunk. This land needs him to finish this bridge to get back on its feet."

"I see," said Haku. "Then how about joining us. Zabuza-sama has shown great interest in your powers and would like to use them. If you agree to work for him, then I'm sure he would break the contract with Gato and leave Tazuna-san alone."

Naruto paused as he considered those words. If he did go with them it would be a new beginning. He could start over in a new place. He could leave behind all the cold glares and hateful words. But if he did go, then he would hurt the few people who cared about him. That alone was enough to make up his mind.

"No way," said Naruto. "My life back home may be hard but I have a reason to stay. You see, I've been hated my whole life. I don't have a family to go home to or anything like that. But I have meet people who have been willing to give me a chance. They have stood by me all this time and I refuse to betray them!"

"I understand," said Haku. "You see, I too am hated. In Mizu no Kuni, people with kekkei genkai are hated to the point where they are hunted like animals. My parents were poor farmers but loved each other very much. My mother was able to hide the fact that she belonged to a clan with a kekkei genkai. While it skipped her, I was not so lucky.

"One day my blood awakened and my father saw it. He gathered the other villagers and killed my mother right before me. If it wasn't for my powers, I would be dead right now.

"After that I was all alone. I was just a stray that no one wanted. I was without purpose and alone. Then I met Zabuza-sama. He needed me and my powers. He took me in and trained me. Now my sole purpose in life is to help him achieve his goals. His enemies are my enemies, no matter how much I don't want them to be."

Naruto was a bit taken back by this. The oinin was so similar to him. Both were outcasts because of something they couldn't control. But that didn't change the situation at all. They had to fight each other in order to complete the missions that were assigned to them.

"A sad story like that has no place in a fight," said Naruto. "I'm sorry about your past, but we both have to do what we believe is right." Naruto then shifted his body into a fighting position. "Let's have some fun!"

"Love to," said Haku. A moment later she began her attack. She shot from mirror to mirror at lightning speeds while throwing senbon needles at Naruto. The blond gritted his teeth as the needles pierced his flesh in at least a dozen spots. And then, it was over.

"That wasn't bad," said Naruto as he wiped away some blood away from his mouth. Haku said nothing as she held up another set of senbon needles and launched out in another attack. This time she was only able to get three hits in before Naruto began to spin around and yelled "**Semputate!**" Naruto then rose into the air as the wind began to surround him in the shape of a sphere. The winds seemed to suck everything that wasn't nailed to the ground. The needles on the ground, the passed out Sasuke, and Haku were all pulled into it. 

Spinning around and around, it was like being in a twister. What was worse was when the jutsu ended; everything was tossed away from Naruto in all directions at incredible speeds. Sasuke was thrown between the ice mirrors and landed on Anko. The needles went in all directions and those that hit the mirrors went right threw them like a needle goes through fabric. Haku also hit an ice mirror, but sunk right into it. Naruto landed on the ground and smirked while his salamanders had spirals in their eyes.

_What a terrifying jutsu_, thought Haku as the world began to spin less. _Instead of blocking or repealing my attacks, his catches them and then tosses it in all directions._

"I think you realize the power of my wind," said a proud Naruto. "Any ranged attack has to travel through the air to get to me and I can control the air. It's like giving me your attack and saying I can do whatever I want with it!"

Haku didn't reply. Instead she left her mirror from the back so that she was outside. She then made several hand signs before placing a hand on the mirror she just left and said, "**Aisu Tengai no Jutsu!**" Immediately the spaces between the mirrors began to fill in with ice, trapping Naruto and his summons inside.

"Time to pay the price for that cocky attitude," said Haku as she kept a hand on the ice. "As long as I keep physical contact with the ice, I can strengthen and repair it immediately."

In the ice dome, Naruto was considering his options. He could either try to break the ice dome or he could make a hole at the bottom and escape. However, there were some problems with option number two. The only jutsu he had that was strong enough to get him out that way was the Sempuken. What would happen if he destroyed a support beam or he accidentally destroy a large part of the bridge? Like hell he was going to get blamed for that! He then looked at the ice and decided to try getting out that way. And what better way to do it than with his salamanders helping him!

"All right guys," said Naruto as he began to spin his left arm around. "Time to pull out our ace."

"You got in Naruto-sama," said Ensho.

"Anytime nii-san," said Hinoke.

Soon, a twister began to form around Naruto's arm. While this was happening, Ensho opened his mouth and fire chakra began to flow out of it and into the twister. The fire chakra ignited the wind chakra causing it to burst into flames. Naruto then kept his wind chakra going to feed the flames on his combo jutsu. As the flaming twister continued to circle Naruto's fist it began to grow red from the heat. Naruto then punched the wall in front of him and yelled, "**Katon: Sempuken!**"

Outside, Haku felt incredible heat coming from the other side. She tried to keep the wall from melting, but this was just too strong. She jumped back in time before a cylinder for flames created a hole in her jutsu. Haku looked at the effects of Naruto's last jutsu. A large cylinder shaped hole was in the wall that looked like it had been cut with a razor blade. She then looked down and saw that the bridge looked like there were some spots were it had begun to melt.

"Shit," Naruto swore as he took a knee and held up his left hand to get a good look at it. His hand was now a lobster red and had steam coming off of it. He moved a couple of fingers and winced as he did so. "Not as bad as last time I tried this jutsu. At least this time I don't smell burning flesh."

"That's because last time you waited a whole minute before using that jutsu," said Ensho. He then gave Naruto a stern look. "Listen Naruto-sama, I want you to make this a forbidden jutsu. The longer it takes you to hit your opponent the more damage is done to your hand. It might reach the point where you will burn it to a crisp and never be able to use it again."

"But Naruto-niisan healed alright last time," said Hinoke. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"Sorry Hinoke," said Naruto, "but I have to go with Ensho one this one."

"I hope I'm not interrupting," said Haku as she made some hand signs. When she was done she yelled, "**Hyouga Yaiba!**" and her hand became covered in ice while taking the shape of a sword. "Because I'm cutting in!"

Haku then charged at Naruto who reached behind his back and pulled out the Raijin. The blade powered up as he swung it and blocked Haku's blade. Haku then pulled back before taking another swing just to have Naruto side step the attack and then punch her in her masked face. Haku stumbled backwards a bit and Naruto tried to take advantage of the situation but Haku managed to dodge him.

As the two fought, neither one noticed that the mist had cleared. Kakashi lay face down on the ground. His clothing was torn in several spots where he was bleeding. Zabuza stood over him, but had to use his sword as support. Their fight had taken its toll on the two of them and left Zabuza with little chakra left. He slowly turned around and saw that Haku was fighting the blond shinobi. Zabuza gulped because this meant that she was getting desperate. She was using her last resort to take down her opponent since her kenjutsu was not her greatest strength.

Haku and Naruto skidded away from each other and then raised their blades once more. A wind blew through the area as they both stared at each other. Haku looked awful. Her mask was full of crack and could give out at any moment. Her clothing was full of rips and sweat and her hair had come undone. Naruto only looked a little better. His hand still stung like hell, he was numb in some of the areas where the needles had pierced him, and he was panting lightly.

Then, the two charged at each other just as Sasuke woke up from his nap. Haku had struck first with a thrusting motion to Naruto's side. The blade of ice went through him in an instant. Naruto coughed up some blood before his face hardened and he get her with the Raijin. It was only a nick, but it was all he needed as powerful electrical currents went right through Haku's body. She screamed in pain as she fell backwards, he blade pulling out of Naruto as she did. When she hit the ground her mask broke and Naruto stood in shock to see the girl he had met earlier.

"HAKU!" screamed Zabuza. As he watched her fall, a feeling of dread came over him. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It felt like his heart was being rammed with a blade of lightning or something. He then began to limp over to where Haku lay and he began to hear them talking.

"Naruto-san, please kill me," begged Haku. "I am no longer of any use to Zabuza-sama since he has no need for weakness. I am just a broken tool that needs to be thrown away. If I lose him then I will be alone again and I can't bare that pain again. So please, end my life."

"Haku," said Naruto. "I don't think I can."

"Don't touch her," said Zabuza. Naruto backed up a bit as the larger nin moved next to Haku and then knelt down next to her. "Don't worry Haku; I don't think you're broken at all. We're still doing fine so don't you dare die on me." Zabuza looked down and saw the tears in Haku's eyes as he said this. However, the sound of someone clapping ruined the touching moment. Everyone turned their attention to the large group of thugs in front of them led by Gato.

"Well I never thought I'd live to here that come from the Demon of the Mist," laughed Gato. "Some demon, he only took down one guy and it's not the bridge builder. You're nothing more than a little baby devil."

"Gato, what the hell is going on?" demanded Zabuza.

"Well you see, I find that killing you nuke-nuns after you do your job saves me a lot of money," said Gato. "But since you couldn't do that then I'll just kill you for your incompetence and the rest of you as well." He then stopped and looked at Haku. "But I'll leave that bitch who tried to poison me live. I have a few clubs in the red lights districts that could use her. After all, she has to be good at something since she sucks at being a shinobi and cooking." That got a laugh out of everyone on Gato's side. Except for one. He was a shinobi from Ame who was on a recon mission for Hanzo. Gato was supplying weapons for the rebel faction in their village. It was his mission to find out what kinds of weapons, how many, and where they were.

"I won't let you do that," said an angry Naruto. A small red tint began to cover his body as his eyes turned red and slit.

"And what's a little baby like you going to do about it?" asked Gato. "Here's a lesson for you gaki. Money is the only true power on the planet. The more you have, the stronger you are. Just look at me, I took down an entire country without lifting a finger."

"That's where you're wrong," said Naruto as he began to make hand signs. The jutsu he was doing was from the scrolls he got when he was a kid. According to it, he could only use this jutsu under two conditions. The first was if he was surrounded by ice and snow. The other was if he was in a very cold and wet area. If it was the second then it would take three times as much chakra to use. But it was worth every drop as stopped and pulled back his fist before he yelled, "**Hyoton: Kokuryubo Fusetsu!**" A black dragon shot out of his fist as he punched the air in front of him and went right for a scared shitless Gato. "Let's see how much power your money has now!" yelled Naruto right before the jutsu hit Gato dead on. Him and several others behind him were killed and their bodies thrown into the air and landing in the water.

"Holy shit gaki," said Zabuza as he turned to look at Naruto. "That was…" He stopped as he noticed that Naruto was starting to sway. He then fell backwards and when he hit the ground his salamanders puffed away.

"Hey, that little shit killed our meal ticket," yelled one of the goons.

"Let's take it out on the town," said another. They started to charge when an arrow landed between them and our hero's. Everyone turned to see the people of Nami at the other end of the bridge with pissed off looks and sharp pointy objects.

"Like hell you're coming into our country," they began to shout. Anko saw this and smirked as she walked over to Naruto. When she got to him she saw that he was only asleep.

"Alright," said Anko as she bit her thumb. "I've been on the sidelines long enough. **Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" There was a large puff of smoke and when it cleared, Anko was standing next to a snake the size of a van. "Say hello to my little friend." A moment later, all of the thugs were running for their lives. 

---

A few days later the bridge was finished. Everyone had been patched up and were ready to head back to Kohana. Sasuke seemed to be a bit pissed off seeing that he was saved by Naruto. Kakashi, it seemed, was in such a powerful porn withdraw it had him sloppy when he fought Zabuza. Now that Gato was dead, Kakashi was finally able to get his hands on some porn. Anko was a bit pissed that she didn't do more on the mission but was happy when she found some stragglers in the area. Let's just say she let out all her frustrations on them. Naruto was talking to Haku who had decided to go with them.

"What about Zabuza?" asked Naruto. Haku grinned.

"He said that it was time for us to part ways for a while," she said. "He said he was going to start training so he won't need me as a tool and can win on his own strength. Something about our fight inspiring him to become better. He even buried his sword somewhere around here and said he would only come back for it when he knew he was ready to take another shot at Kiri."

"But why are you coming with us?" asked Anko hoping that it wasn't so she could try and be with Naruto.

"Well Naruto-san told me that he was able to meet some good people who accepted him," said Haku. "I'm hoping that the same thing can happen to me despite the fact that I have a kekkei genkai."

"No worries there," said Kakashi as he limped over to them. "Our village welcomes anyone with a kekkei genkai. I'm sure you'll be welcomed with open arms."

"Thank you Kakashi-san," said Haku as bowed at him.

"Oh by the way," said Kakashi as he remembered something that he forgot to ask her. "What's your full name? I can't introduce you to the council without that."

"Uzumaki Haku," said Haku. Everyone stopped and stared at her for a moment. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," said Naruto. Haku was so shocked that she covered her mouth with her hands.

"M-My tousan told me when I was younger that he had a sister that lived in Kohana," she said. "But other than that I don't anything else about our clan. This means that…"

"…we're family," finished Naruto as he moved to hug her. As they held each other, Naruto could feel Haku's tears run down her cheeks. After they released each other, Haku then went right for her bag and then pulled out a tray of cookies. 

"I was saving these for when we got home but this looks like a time to celebrate," she said. "Tsunami and I made these." Everyone looked at the cookies. Half of them looked nice and smooth and others looked bumpy. Naruto and Anko went for the nice looking ones, but Kakashi grabbed them and gave half to Sasuke.

"We deserve these," said Kakashi. Naruto and Anko sighed as they went for the…less fancy looking ones. A moment later Kakashi and Sasuke were on the ground with purple skin and crying their eyes out.

"It looks like my cookies need work to," sighed Haku as she ate one of Tsunami's messy ones while Naruto and Anko were laughing their asses off.

---

"Hanzo-sama," said a chunin who had returned from a mission. "I am here to report the situation with Gato." Hanzo stopped what he was doing and gave the chunin his full attention.

"Tell me," said Hanzo. "What is Gato selling Pein?"

"Nothing now sir," said the chunin. "Gato was killed in Nami and his men are seizing his stuff all over the place. We were lucky sir. If those weapons had gone out, Pein would have been able to strike within a month. I'd say we got ourselves another couple of years before he is able to move out in force."

"That is true," said Hanzo. "Tell me, who killed that little worm? Was it one of his men?"

"No sir," said the chunin. "It was a genin from Kohana." This caught Hanzo's interest.

"What did he look like?" asked Hanzo. The chunin had expected something like this so he had taken a picture of the boy. He handed it to Hanzo who looked at it in shock. "My, my, Naruto-kun as grown up so much." Hanzo then pulled out a piece of paper from his desk and wrote a note on it. When he was done he handed it to the chunin. "Give this to the boys who write the bingo book." The chunin looked down and gasped.

"Hanzo-sama, why are you adding the blond to the bingo book?" he asked. It didn't make any sense. "And why are you calling him the Kaze-shu?"

"Because I want him to fight," said Hanzo. "Right now I am giving him a C rank, capture alive request. People will see that and go after him and he will fight them. He will gain experience and others will know his name. And when his rank reaches S, then I will be able to see for myself how much he has truly grown."

"Hanzo-sama, don't you think you have better things to concentrate on?" asked the chunin.

"I forget how young you are sometimes," said Hanzo with a sigh. "I gave Naruto-kun the salamander contract because I saw the potential in him back when he was a child. But with the way things are going here, I can't afford to sit and wait. I would like to fight Naruto-kun before my death. That has been my dream for the last ten years; to fight the only person in the world who can fly, the Kaze-shu. I never got to face Minato-kun, so I'll take his son."

"Wait," said the chunin. "This Kaze-shu is the son of Namikaze Minato?"

"Hai," said Hanzo. "It took a little digging, but I found out that he had a son. Plus it doesn't hurt that they look alike. Now go." The chunin bowed and left the room to do what he was told to do. Hanzo walked over to a circular window and looked out of it. "If Pein is doing what I think he's doing, then Naruto-kun will need to be stronger than me."

Kaze-shu: Wind Lord

Hyouga Yaiba: Glacier Sword

Aisu Tengai no Jutsu: Ice Dome Jutsu


	11. Chapter 11

Well I hope I haven't kept you all waiting too long. BEMB is nearing its end so I have been giving it a lot of love. (sniff) That has to be one of my best works. Sadly, the last chapter got a lot of negative comments on Tsunade and Jiraiya being drugged. They were in their own village, they let their guard down, and were not expecting to be drugged. Plus they were distracted with the whole rescue Sasuke thing. I mean, Tsunade drugged Jiraiya once. They are human, meaning they can slip up and stuff. But you aren't here for BEMB. Sorry.

As for my SG-1 comment in the last chapter, I think you all misunderstood me. I meant to say that was the way the series should have ended. Then make a couple of movies. Would have had everyone holding their breath.

Now for the moment you have all been waiting for. Let's rock!

-x-

Sarutobi scanned the mission report of Team 7. He had read it several times of course. Each bit of it was clear in his mind. However, he wanted to make sure he hadn't missed anything in the three days he had it. In front of him stood Kakashi with his famous bored look.

Three days had passed since the mission to Nami. During those three days Sarutobi had gotten his share of headaches. One source of the headaches was the council after they had found out about Haku. After hearing about her abilities, half of them wanted to make sure that she had children as soon as possible and by any means necessary. The other half just wanted her to stay away from her cousin before he 'corrupted' her. Then there was the attack on Team 8. He had gotten word of it the other day by messenger hawk and was relieved to find out that everyone was ok. However, from what he read, Hinata was the target. Very few people knew about that mission and even fewer knew that it was a cover to get Hinata to the island. The Hokage suspected Hiashi, but he had no proof. Yet, it was rewarding to see his scowl when he told the council about the real reason for the mission and Hinata's adoption.

The last source of headache's came from the mission report given to him by Kakashi. In his report, Kakashi accused Naruto of disobeying orders, fighting with his fellow teammate, and causing his commanding nin harm. Kakashi finished his report asking that Naruto be removed from the program and to have his chakra sealed away for good. Now, had anyone else had read this they would have agreed with Kakashi. However, Sarutobi decided to investigate the matter before casting judgment. He talked to the genin about the mission, taking in the common threads to their stories. He also talked to Haku as well.

Now, here he was. He had a mountain of paperwork to do and instead he had to deal with this.

"Kakashi," said Sarutobi as he slowly put the report down. "Your report has some serious accusations. Are you positive about all of them?"

"Hai," said Kakashi.

"Well that's interesting," said Kakashi. "According to your report, Naruto shocked you with his Raijin. But you failed to mention that he did that in order to free you from a jutsu. You also didn't mention that Naruto refused to follow your orders to teach Sasuke one of _his_ jutsus. Did it also escape your attention that Sasuke started the fight between them?" Kakashi said nothing as Sarutobi continued.

"Kakashi, what am I going to do with you? You are constantly late for meeting. You haven't been training Anko or Naruto. You can't order a genin to give up one of their jutsus, especially ones that they created themselves. Because of all this, Anko and Naruto have indicated that they want to be moved to a different team."

"That might be for the best," said Kakashi.

"Yes, well, it's not happening," said Sarutobi. "Currently there aren't any other genins who are asking for a transfer. Also spots won't be open until the end of the chunin exam when we promote the other genins. Now, I want you to start acting like a sensei or else I will be placing you back in ANBU. Council's wishes be damned! I will not allow you to risk the futures of two young genins just for one."

"From what I have seen, both Naruto and Anko are very skilled," said Kakashi. "Maybe they should see my not training them as a sign that I have nothing to teach them."

"That's a load of crap," said Sarutobi with a deadpanned expression. "Naruto's skilled with ninjutsu alright. However, his taijutsu and kenjutsu are based on the principle of swing and hope he hits something. And they both suck at genjutsu." Sarutobi paused and rubbed his temples. "Just get out of here Kakashi. Consider this your one and only warning to shape up or ship out."

Kakashi nodded and left without saying a word.

-x-

In the morning two days later, Naruto was still in bed. His body was sprawled all over the mattress. Then, the smell of something burning woke him up with a start. He quickly got up and went to the door. As he did this, thoughts raced in his mind. There were only two things that could cause him to smell something burning. The first was some angry villager had started a fire. The other was Anko was trying out a new prank. Quickly he made his way out of his room and found…Haku in the kitchen.

Personally, he would have preferred the apartment being on fire.

Haku was over the stone with a knife in hand. In front of her was a pot with a lid on it. Suddenly the lid popped open and a green glowing slime came crawling out. Haku began to stab the slime and Naruto could have sworn he heard it cry out in pain. The slime seemed to crawl back into the pot and Haku quickly put the lid back on.

"Ok," said Haku to herself. "That's new even to me." She then felt a presence behind her. She whipped around and saw Naruto standing behind her in his pajamas. "Oh Naruto-itoko, I didn't hear you get up."

"Ah, what were you doing?" asked Naruto. Haku blushed.

"Well I was trying to make us breakfast as a way of saying thank you for letting me stay here," said Haku. "However, it seems like my cooking is only getting worse. This time it actually came to life." Behind her, the lid began to bounce up and down. Haku turned around and held it down with both hands. "Listen, how about we go out for breakfast. My treat."

"Fine," said Naruto as he turned around. "Let me get changed."

"Great," said Haku as she raised the knife. "While you do that, I'll take care of this."

-x-

"It's great to be back!" yelled Kiba as he, his team, and Yuruichi walked down the streets of the village. "I can't believe we go here so quickly." Yuruichi shrugged.

"In the political world you can never be late," she said. "That's why all of my uncle's ships are much faster than the ones your all used to."

Shihōin Hinata smiled at their friendly exchange. It was nice to see everyone getting along. After the mission on the boat was over, they arrived on the island. There they were met by Yuruichi who then explained to them that Hinata might be getting adopted into the Shihōin clan. This, of course, came as a big surprise to everyone. Hinata, in fact, nearly fainted in surprise.

The meeting itself was, like any meeting, long and dull. Hinata sat there while they debated the issue over and over. Well, issues to be precise. The first was whether or not to allow succession to fall to Yuruichi, making her the next Daimyo. Many pointed out that it didn't look like the current Daimyo's wife would have children seeing her age and obsession with her cat. Those opposed pointed out that Yuruichi, while she was intelligent and witty, was too laid back. In the end, they concluded that if an heir was not born before the Daimyo's death then Yuruichi would become the next Daimyo of Hi no Kuni. As for the issue with Hinata, most of them were in favor of the adoption. Those opposed believed that she still might have ties with her old clan and use her new place to do the will of the Hyuuga. A vote was then taken and Hinata became Shihōin Hinata.

"Before we go see the Hokage there is something I need to say to all of you," said Kurenai. The group stopped to look at her. "This was your first C-ranked mission. While we did come across some unforeseeable events, you all did well. I am very proud of all of you." She was then met with smiling faces. "But don't let it get to your head." The smiles faded. "This could have been much worse and I don't want you to think it will be getting easier. In fact, it will only get harder. I hope you will all keep that in mind."

"Hai sensei," they all said.

"Lighten up Kurenai," said Yuruichi as she swung her arm around Kurenai's neck. "How many rookie genins go up against nuke-nins and actually win? I say we have a little party before see the Hokage." She then saw something heading their way. It was Naruto and next to him was a pretty young girl. _Oh shit_, thought Yuruichi. _Naruto hooked up with a girl while we were gone. Can't let Hinata-chan see this or else she'll lose it!_

"Hey Hinata-chan!" yelled the voice of everyone's favorite blond. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino turned around and stared at the two coming at them. Yuruichi cursed under her breath that the blond just had to spot them before she could do anything. "Hey guys, I want you to meet my cousin Uzumaki Haku."

The reactions they got were interesting. Shino said nothing. He just stared at Haku with a raised eyebrow. Kurenai nodded politely at the ice user. Yuruichi gave a sigh of relief at the fact that she wouldn't be up all night while Hinata played sappy love songs on the radio and eating chocolate. Hinata smiled warmly at Haku while in her head a little chibi version of herself was doing a happy dance that he was still on the market. Kiba…

"Holy shit," he declared. "How the hell are you two related?"

"Well if I'm getting this right," said Naruto as he folded his arms, "her father was the brother of my mother. Isn't that right Haku-itoko?"

"Hai," said Haku. "We were just on our way to breakfast. Would you all like to join us?"

"I don't see why not," said Kurenai. And with that, they made their way to a tiny restaurant.

Along the way, Kiba kept staring at Haku. In his mind, he began to think what it would be like to have two girlfriends. He could see it now. He would be the luckiest guy in the village having both Hinata and Haku all to himself. Hinata had the cute girl next door thing going for her. Haku had the drop dead sexy look. Put them tighter and he was in heaven. Now all he had to do was get them.

As they ate, they exchanged stories with each other. Naruto was shocked that they had also met up with nuke-nins. And after hearing how Hinata took care of one of them he began to praise her loudly. Then he told them about his mission. Kurenai turned pale when she heard that they ran into Zabuza and was surprised that Kakashi actually continued the mission. She was also a little shocked to learn that Haku had been helping Zabuza. Yet, Naruto seemed to trust her and so did the Hokage if he had allowed her to stay in the village so she let it go. For now at least.

-x-

"Team 7," said Iruka as the team stood in front of him and the Hokage. "The council has issued a training mission for Uchiha Sasuke. They have asked that Kakashi train him in isolation for a period of one month and no one else."

"Nani?" yelled Naruto.

"That's bullshit!" yelled Anko. "They can't do that!"

"Actually they can," said Kakashi. "Anyone can have a mission issued as long as they can pay for it."

"And the Hokage approves of it," said Sarutobi sternly. Then, an odd smile appeared on his face. "And I have. I will see you two back here in a month." Kakashi eyed the old man sitting in front of him. Was this the same man who was yelling at him two days ago? He didn't sense a henge so what was going on? Deciding to be on high alert, he and Sasuke left the room to begin their training mission.

"This is so unfair," yelled Naruto. "I have half a mind to…"

"Yes we know you have half a mind so please don't waste it," joked Sarutobi. Not getting any laughter, he went back into business mode. "Alright, I know you both are…upset about this. However, I would never allow something like this to happen unless I had good reason. For the next month, you will both be getting individual training. Anko, I have talked to Morino Ibiki and he has agreed to assist in your training."

Anko stood there, her mouth hanging open. The head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Department was going to be training her. This was like a dream come true. She was going to be trained by the man whose job she wanted.

"So where do I met him?" asked Anko after she had regained her senses. Suddenly, she felt a kunai pressed against her throat. Naruto jumped back and got into a fighting stance.

"I'm right here," said Ibiki as he slowly removed the kunai.

"Ibiki was that really necessary?" asked Iruka. Ibiki smirked.

"Hai," he said as he placed a hand on the girls shoulder. "I need to know if she has the nerves to take my training. And seeing how she didn't piss or anything I'll take her." He then looked down at Anko. "Let's get going gaki." With that, Naruto watched as they vanished in a cloud of smoke. Then, in complete eagerness, he turned to look at the Hokage.

"So what about me oji-san?" he asked.

-x-

About twenty minutes later, Naruto was standing in front of what looked to be an old candy store. Apparently, this was where he was supposed to meet a retired shinobi who had amazing skills or something like that. He waited for a minute or two before going in. The inside looked old fashion but clean. Naruto walked down the aisle, stopping once or twice to look at the items that they sold.

"May I help you?' asked a young girls voice. Naruto looked up from the item he was looking at and saw a young girl with a broom in hand. She had black hair that was tied into pig tails. She wore a short shirt and a pink and white poke-a-dot skirt. Before Naruto could answer, a red headed boy entered the room very quickly. He had on a white shirt and blue shorts.

"What's the matter with you?" he demanded. "You should be showing him what we have on sale. Also, why haven't you put away all of today's shipment?"

"I am sorry," she said in a quiet voice. The red head smiled.

"Well, if you're not going to do all your work then perhaps you shouldn't get all of your pay," he said. Suddenly a large shadow appeared on the boy. He looked up and saw a large man with a mustache, and a big one at that.

"I will keep that in mind when I hand you both your pay checks," he said. "Especially since you were asked to put away today's shipment." Then man then turned his attention to Naruto. "You must be Uzumaki-san. My name is Tsukabishi Tessai. Please follow me."

Naruto shrugged as he followed the large man into the back room. Tessai then stopped as he reached down and pulled up a trap door. Naruto looked down and saw stairs leading downward into the dark. Tessai took the lead and Naruto reluctantly followed him. This was just getting too weird for him. Who the hell was his sensei supposed to be?

When Naruto got to the bottom of the stairs he was amazed by what he saw. So amazed that he ran in front of Tessai. It was a huge cavern. All around him were rock formations that could be used to get higher ground or to get a rebound on. The walls were even painted to look like the sky.

"This…is amazing," said Naruto in awe. "This has to be the coolest thing in the village!" He then turned to look behind him and saw that Tessai was crying rivers of tears. "Ah, are you alright."

"I'm (sniff) just glad you appreciate it," he said. Then he suddenly stopped crying and stood at attention. Naruto then turned around and saw someone new. He was a blond haired who wore wooden sandals and a bucket hat. He stood in front of Naruto with a cane in one hand while fanning himself with the other.

"I see you're here Naruto-kun," said the man as he folded his fan. "Yuruichi-chan has told me a lot about you. It certainly is a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"So I guess you're going to be my sensei for the next month," said Naruto.

"Hai," said the man. "My name is Urahara Kisuke."

"So what are you going to be teaching me?" asked Naruto. "Some cool new jutsu or something?"

"Hardly," replied Urahara. "The Hokage has informed me of all your weakness. Although, telling me your strengths would have made for a shorter list."

"Hey!" yelled Naruto in rage as tick marks appeared on his face. Urahara smirked at this.

"Since you're all fired up I'll cut to the chase," said Urahara. "You have the fighting style of an Irish drunk. Your sword style isn't even suited to cut butter. No skills what so ever in genjutsu except that little nudie show of yours." Naruto crossed his arms and look away. "Your ninjutsu, on the other, hand is better than most chunins and some jonins. However, from what I have heard, most of them border on overkill.

"What I will be doing is teaching you the stances for battle. The only one who can teach you how to fight is yourself." Naruto squinted as he looked at Urahara.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Naruto.

"It's simple really," said Urahara. "I can teach you how to guard and where to punch, but the only person who can bring them all together in a form of battle is you."

"Well, as long as it's training I have no problem with it," said Naruto.

"Good then," said Urahara with a big smile. He then pulled out his blade from his cane. "Here's your first task: knock off my hat. You are not allowed to use any jutsu, just your fists or your Raijin." Naruto smirked at the man as he reached behind his back and pulled out his sword.

"You'll be sorry," said Naruto as he activated his blade.

With that Naruto charged at his opponent only to be side stepped. The moment Urahara was behind him he hit Naruto in the back with the cane part causing Naruto to fall to the ground. Naruto slowly picked himself up and turned to look at his sensei. Urahara was yawning.

"So, when will I be sorry?" he asked as Naruto stood. Naruto looked at him and charged once again. Only this time, Urahara blocked his attack.

"What the," said Naruto before Urahara's fist hit his face. Naruto fell on his back, his nose bleeding.

"You're probably wondering why I didn't get shocked," said the older blond. "While it is true that my sword does conduct electricity, my wooden handle doesn't." He then let out a sigh. "Are you even thinking about your attacks? You charged at me with no real thought, hoping for the best. Well, hope won't work in the shinobi world. There are no might or might not. When you aim to do something you will need complete conviction in every act. When you aim a kunai at someone, it will hit them. When you throw a punch at your opponent, it will hit them. When you swing your sword at them, it will cut them. When you accept a mission, you will complete it. Do you understand now?"

"Yeah," said Naruto as he got up and got into a fighting stance. "You talk too much." Naruto prepared to strike, but this time he added some more chakra into his feet to give him an extra boost. His movements where faster, but Urahara kicked him out of the way. As Naruto fell, he reached behind and then threw several kunai aimed at the hat. Urahara looked shocked for a moment. Still, he blocked each one before Naruto hit the floor.

"Didn't think that you could do that after getting kicked in the stomach," said Urahara.

"It isn't the first time I've been kicked there," grunted Naruto as he tried to get up. "I'm not going to give up!"

"Don't worry," said Urahara as he placed the blade of his sword on his shoulder. "We have all month to work on this."

-x-

At the same time, Sechs walked down to the office of Hanzo. He was a guy of about 14 years of age. His hair was a messy black and had one eye covered a metallic circular object that was imbedded in his skin around the right eye. He wore black from head to toe with metal arm and leg guards. On his back was his Titan Blade, a weapon that folded out into a staff like weapon that was a mix of sword and saw. When he reached the office, he went in without knocking.

Inside the room, three genin teams were in front of Hanzo. They had been talking about something until Sechs entered. Now they all turned their heads and looked at the rudest and most aggressive shinobi in the village.

"This is crap old fart," said Sechs as he stood in front of Hanzo, pushing the others out of the way. The other Ame-nins growled at him, but he paid them no mind. "Let me and my team go and take that sissy chunin exam they got over there."

"I have already made up my mind," said Hanzo sternly. "I am only allowing three teams this year to go. I need as many people here as possible with this little civil war going on. You can go next time." Sechs then suddenly slammed his fist onto the desk, breaking it in half. Hanzo's guards were about to grab the angry boy but Hanzo held up a hand to stop them.

"He might not be there that time," said Sechs.

"Oh," said Hanzo. "And who might that be?"

"You know damn well who I'm talking about," said Sechs. "The one you picked out."

"Still haven't gotten over that have you," said Hanzo. "Alright, you and your team will be allowed to go. Just be warned that there will be others after him. I have gotten word that I have heard that other villages are sending shinobi after him as well." Hanzo paused for a moment. "I have a good idea, let's make this a game. Whoever brings back the Kaze-shu will become chunin no matter how you did in the exam."

"This isn't a game to me!" yelled Sechs as he turned around. "I'm doing this for me and my pride as an Ame shinobi."

-x-

One month later. Over thirty days of training with Urahara had done wonders for Naruto. He spent every day in mock battles with Urahara learning all sorts of battle skills. They also worked for a bit on his genjutsu. Now, Naruto was able to sense weak to medium level genjutsu and dispel them. He also learned that Urahara used to be with the ANBU Science Team developing new technologies to aid in the defense of the village. However, he had pissed off the council when he had refused to do work that he claimed was morally questionable and an insult to the house of Mizukaze. Naruto asked him what he meant, but Urahara wouldn't budge. All he would say after that was that the council then forced him into retirement.

Naruto was now walking down the streets of the village trying to figure out what he should do with his day. He hadn't seen Kakashi or Sasuke at all during this time and was wondering what they were doing. But those thoughts left Naruto as he thought about the teammate that he liked. He hadn't really seen Anko in the time that they had been training and was wondering how much her skills had improved. Maybe he could ask her out and they could talk about how things were going. Or maybe Hinata. He hadn't seen her in a while as well.

"Hey, let me go," came the voice of Konohamaru. Naruto, hearing the urgency in the boy's voice, ran in the direction he heard it. Naruto turned the corner and saw Konohamaru being held up by a guy in a cat suit and wearing make-up. Next to him was a blond girl with four pig tails and a giant iron fan on her back.

"Stop it Kankuro," said the girl. "Gaara will be made if we are late."

"Don't worry," said Kankuro. "This won't take long. I'm just going to beat the shit out of this little brat. Maybe then he'll think twice before bumping into me."

"Whatever," said Temari. "But when Gaara gets mad at us I'll be blaming you."

"Well, well," said Naruto as he made his presence know. "Don't you look all big and strong picking on a little kid? If you want to improve your image that much, why don't you try getting rid of the kitty pajamas?" Hearing that caused Temari to fight hard not to laugh at her brothers embarrassment. "Or maybe that make-up should go." Now tick marks were appearing all over Kankuro's face as he dropped the grandson of the Hokage.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" demanded Kankuro as he pointed a finger at Naruto who was busy cleaning his ear with his pinky.

"Well I would love to have a good fight," said Naruto as he inspected what he had gotten out of his ear. "It's just that, I want a good fight and not a lame one." He then eyed Temari who had regained her composer. "She looks like she would put up a much better fight. And she's cute too." That comment caused Temari to blush.

Kankuro decided right then and there that he didn't like the blond at all. Nothing at that moment would give him more pleasure than to see him dead. Without thinking, he grabbed the wrapped object on his back. But, before he could do anything he felt something slither up his leg, he looked down and saw a purple snake around his right leg. Then he felt a kunai press against his throat.

"I'm hurt Naruto-kun," said Anko in a hurt tone. "First you start this party without me and then you hit on the first girl you see." Anko then looked at Temari. "What a weird hairstyle."

"Why you little…" began Kankuro.

"Kankuro, stop it," said a dark voice from a nearby tree. Every turned to look and saw a red headed boy. He was dressed in black and had a gourd on his back. On his forehead was tattooed the kanji for love. He then vanished and appeared next to Kankuro. "You are an embarrassment to the village."

"I bet he is," said Naruto. "I mean, how can he go outside looking like that?" Gaara said nothing to Naruto. Instead, he looked at Anko.

"Please release my teammate," asked Gaara. Anko smirked before releasing him. She then puffed over to Naruto. Gaara then spoke to Kankuro. "If you ever embarrass us again I will kill you."

"G-Got it Gaara," said Kankuro.

"Good," said Gaara. With that they turned away. Little did they know that Kakashi and Sasuke were on the roof, watching everything.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 397 sucked big time. To all of you who didn't see it, it bites. Half of it was Sasuke panting. We didn't even get to see Madara's face. Also, Sasuke got Itachi's eye techniques. And it looks like the next few chapters are still going to be about Sasuke. Can we please take a break from that emo bastard, is that too much to ask? The things I want to know is does Tsunade know that Jiraiya is dead? What is the jutsu that Naruto and Jiraiya were working on?

Another thing that gets to me is Kakashi after the first run in with Sasuke. He said that he knew that they wouldn't be able to handle Sasuke. And whose fault is that? Sure, Naruto might have been able to beat Sasuke if he had used Kyuubi had he ignored what Yamato said. That was what his training mission with Jiraiya was all about. That and working on strategy. After that, Naruto was back to square one. My brother has said that Naruto should ignore what Yamato said and go back to using the Kyuubi rather than using his own power. At least after that failure, Kakashi got off his ass and actually trained him a bit.

Let's rock!

-x-

"Sorry I'm late," said Kakashi as he entered the room. "I slipped on a banana peel and lost all my sort term memories." With that said, he gave everyone his famous eye smile. That was returned with hateful glares. Today he was late by four hours. That was an hour later than usual. Asuma had run out of cigarettes, Kurenai had finished her romance novel, and Gai was crying that he was missing out on such a youthful day. Everyone else in the room had been passing around a rubix cube that seemed impossible to solve.

"Well, now that _everyone_ is here," said Sarutobi with one last glare at Kakashi. "As you all should know, the chunin exams are going to be starting soon and will be held in our village. We will be starting this meeting with the nominations for the exam. Remember that requirement to take the exam is to have at least 8 D-ranked mission and at least one C-ranked mission or higher. We will first here from the rookie teams. Are there any genin who you feel are ready for the exam?" Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai all stepped forward.

"I, Hatake Kakashi of Team 7, nominate Uchiha Sasuke, Mitarashi Anko, and Uzumaki Naruto."

"I, Yuhi Kurenai of Team 8, nominate Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Shihōin Hinata."

"I, Sarutobi Asuma of Team 10, nominate Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji."

Silence filled the room. All three rookie teams had been nominated. The last time a rookie team had been nominated was five years ago. But to have all three teams go in their first year was unprecedented. The other jonin and chunin in the room were looking at them like they were insane.

"I can't allow that!" yelled Iruka. "Those nine are too green for this exam. I should know since I was their teacher."

"Well I had already taken the exam when I was Naruto's age," said Kakashi. "In fact, I was a jonin."

"Well Naruto's nothing like you," said Iruka.

"I have to agree with Iruka," said Gai loudly. "My team had the needed skills to take the exam last year but I felt that they needed more experience."

"This is the best time for them to take the exam," said Kurenai. "If they took the chunin exam in a different village, they would be like a fish out of water. If they take it here we can keep an eye on them and make sure they stay safe." What she said was true. In other villages, those who were injured for outside villages got no medical attention until the end of the exam.

"I'm sending them in as motivation," said Asuma. "Right now they need a kick in the pants to get them to train. I think that seeing how strong some shinobi from other villages are might inspire them to train harder. And as Kurenai said, what better place to do that than our own village."

"Everyone," said Sarutobi. "It is not our place to judge the decisions of the jonin instructors. It is their decision to make. Also remember that it is still the choice of the genins to actually take the exam. If they feel they are ready then there is nothing anyone can do about it. Now, moving on."

The rest of the meeting was much calmer. Duties were assigned and proctors were chosen. They also talked about keeping an eye on the single team from Iwa that showed up. Normally, that village didn't send its shinobi when it was Konoha's turn to hold the exam. When the meeting was over, the jonin instructors were told where to pick up the forms that their students needed to fill out. After that, only Sarutobi and Iruka were left in the room.

"I don't believe this," moaned Iruka as he buried his face in his hands.

"I believe that they'll do fine," said Sarutobi with a smile. "Just put some trust in them."

"At least Kurenai and Asuma gave some good reasons for sending their students into the exam," said Iruka as he lifted his head. "Kakashi acted like this is a joke. This is a serious exam."

"I know why he did it," said Sarutobi. "I found out about a week ago that the council was telling the Daimyo's that the last Uchiha will be in the exam. Because of that, more people will be showing up which will increase the amount of gambling."

"So what are you saying?" asked Iruka. Sarutobi sighed.

"The loss of the Uchiha clan was a large blow to the village," said the old Hokage. "We lost many clients after that. Now that the last one is old enough and able to take the exam, they want to show everyone that we are still strong and can rebuild the Uchiha clan back to its former glory."

"And they don't care how many people die just to see that happen?" demanded Iruka as he stood up.

"Please calm down," said Sarutobi. "Remember that we will be keeping an eye on them."

-x-

"Come on teme," said Naruto as sweat dripped from his chin. He was nervous, everything was on the line. Then he saw Sasuke smirk.

"I'm in dobe," said Sasuke as he set down his cards. "Two Kings. I win!" Sasuke then moved to grab the coins in front of him, but Naruto stopped him.

"I don't think so," said Naruto as he revealed his hand. "I have three nine's. Three of a kind beats two of a kind." With that, Naruto took all of the money.

Team 7 had decided to play a game of poker while they waited for Kakashi to show up. While they did so, they talked about what they had done during their training periods. All Sasuke would admit to was some serious training and new jutsus. Anko told them before she lost all her money that she had learned a couple of jutsus along with more information gathering skills. Naruto told them that he had trained in taijutsu, some kenjutsu, and genjutsu.

"Maybe you should stick to gambling," said Sasuke as he looked at his one coin and then at Naruto's small mountain. "You're better at it than being a shinobi."

"Don't be a poor loser," said Anko. "I think you still haven't gotten over what happened in Nami." Before Sasuke could say anything, Kakashi appeared on the scene in his usual manner.

"Yo," he said. He then moved to the side to avoid being hit by several kunai from both Naruto and Anko. "As violent as ever I see. Well, today there will be no team training."

"How is that different for us?" asked Anko and Naruto at the same time. Kakashi eye smiled and handed them a piece of paper.

"Tomorrow will be the chunin exam," said Kakashi. "If you want to participate then you must sign those forms and bring them to room 301 at the academy by 9:00. This is optional so don't show up if you don't want to." And with that, he vanished.

"Well I don't know about you two," said Sasuke as he looked at his sheet. "But I'm doing this."

"Might as well," said Naruto. He then looked at Anko. "Maybe then we can get transferred to a different team." Anko smiled at that.

"That would so kick ass," she said. "We get promoted, we get a new team, and it'll be like the holidays came early."

-x-

Later that night, in the Hyuuga complex, Neji sat in front of Hiashi. The two of them were alone. Between them was some tea.

"Neji," said Hiashi as he broke the silence. "I have called you here to ask something of you."

"And what is that?" asked Neji.

"First let me say what a shame it is," said Hiashi as he took a sip of his tea. "It's a shame that someone as skilled as you is a branch member. You should be in the main house and not with the trash. It must be really hard for you. That is why I would like your help on something. If you help me, I can help you."

"Help me how?" asked Neji with his full attention on Hiashi now.

"Well," began Hiashi. "You do know Hyuuga Daiki, right? Well, he was never able to have children and is getting old. If he were to die then his line within the clan dies. I would be more than happy to have you placed under his charge as his adopted son. That would make you a main house member and your seal would be removed safely. That is what you want, right?"

Neji sat there with a shocked look on his face. This had to be a dream come true. Fate was opening the door for him to become a main house member. He would finally be free of his seal. He could finally show everyone his true potential without worry.

"What must I do Hiashi-sama?" asked Neji. Hiashi smirked.

"The main thing I need from you is to defeat Uchiha Sasuke in the third round of the exam," said Hiashi. "The only reason that I went with the council was so we could prove once and for all that the Hyuuga clan is the strongest in the village. Once Sasuke loses to you in front of everyone, he will learn that his place is below us. Also, it will prove once and for all that a clan of copycats will never be able to match us.

"If you can manage it, there is one other thing. I need you to kill Uzumaki Naruto and Hinata. They have both disgraced our clan and need to be eliminated. I'm sure you know that killing will be allowed in the exam and that you will not be held accountable for your actions even against other Konoha-nins."

"So all I really need to do is defeat the Uchiha," said Neji. "And, if I can, kill two failures. I have no problems with that."

-x-

The next morning, Team 7 arrived at the academy. They made their way up a flight of steps and found a large group of genins around a door labeled 301. In front of it were two large boys who were keeping the others out. They seemed to be fighting with a boy dressed in green spandex, a bun haired girl, and Hyuuga Neji. Anko and Naruto's eyes narrowed on seeing him, remembering what he had done to their friend back when they were younger.

"Come on," yelled green wearing genin, "let us through." The boy was kicked back by one of the boys guarding the door.

"There's no way you're ready for the chunin exam," said the first one who was really a chunin in disguise. "Some people get so badly hurt that they have to quit the shinobi program. Some have gone crazy and others die."

"Ya," said the second who was the same as the first. "We are doing this for your own good."

"Move out of the way," said Sasuke as he pushed his way through the group. "We need to get to room 301 which is on the next floor." The two boys smirked.

"So you saw through our genjutsu," said the first. "Well I hate to break it to ya, but that won't be enough to survive this exam. Now I suggest you leave."

"What if I don't feel like it?" asked Sasuke. The guy raised his fist and got ready to strike. Sasuke saw this and also prepared to hit him. However, the green spandex wearing genin caught both attacks with ease.

"Kami," cried the bun haired girl. "Lee, wasn't it you who said we should hide our true strength?"

"I am very sorry," said Lee as he bowed. Neji looked at Sasuke and smirked.

"So you must be Uchiha Sasuke," said Neji. "This year's rookie of the year. I'm glad to see you are taking the exam." Neji then held out his hand and waited for Sasuke to shake it. Sasuke looked at it for a moment before turning away. Neji growled at this disrespect when he heard a voice that he hated.

"I see your manners have improved," said Naruto as he made his presence known.

"Uzumaki," growled Neji. "It's been a while. I look forward to facing you in the exam so I can pay you back!" Naruto opened his mouth to say something but Sasuke interrupted.

"Let's get moving," said Sasuke as he began to walk away. Naruto looked at Neji one last time before flipping him off.

Team 7 made their way to the next flight of stairs. Looking down, they saw the sparring and target room that was used by the students. The area they were on was the spot where the rest of the class watched the matches. On the opposite side of the room was the stairs that would lead them right to room 301. However…

"Please wait," yelled Lee as he appeared from behind them. "My name is Rock Lee and I would like to challenge you Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke looked at him, but he was not the person who spoke out.

"That's it!" yelled Anko. "I'm tired of having no action!"

"Ah, Anko-chan," said Naruto nervously. "We have to be getting to the exam room."

"That can wait," snapped Anko. She then jumped down to the first floor and looked up at Lee. "Well, are you coming?"

"Well you see," said Lee as he scratched the back of his head. "I was really hoping to fight the genius of your year. Plus I don't like to hit girls." Naruto slowly began to shake his head no. That was a bad thing to say to Anko.

"Don't like to hit girls," said Anko slowly as she lowered her head. When she lifted it, flames were dancing in her eyes. "What a load of shit! That's just a guys excuse so they don't have to fight a girl when they know they'll lose. Get down here NOW!"

"Yes ma'am," said Lee as his body became straight. A moment later he appeared right in front of Anko and got into a stance. Anko pulled out her Urumi that was wrapped around her waist and held it ready. The two stared at each other as they assessed the other.

Lee was the first to move. In an instant he had moved from across the room and was in front of Anko. Then he landed a punch right in Anko's gut. Lee turned around, assuming that it was over. However, everyone knows never to assume anything.

There was a sudden puff that caused Lee to turn around. Anko had been replaced with a small snake. _A hebi bunshin_, thought Lee. He didn't have time to think as Anko appeared in the air right above him. She swung her blade at him and he side stepped it. The blade then turned around and shot at Lee from behind. Luckily for Lee he was able to jump out of the way in time. Anko then landed on the ground with as much grace as she could and then turned to look at Lee. A smile came across her face when she saw a small cut on the boy's right leg. There was no blood, but she had come close.

"You're skilled," complemented Anko.

"As are you," said Lee. He then looked at the time and noticed that they had about fifteen minutes. "As much as I would like to continue, we are almost out of time." He then vanished and then appeared right in front of Anko. He then kicked her into the air. A moment later he appeared behind her with the bandages on his hands beginning to unravel. "This move will finish it." However, a pinwheel shot out and hit Lee's bandages. Both Lee and Anko fell to the ground and looked in the direction that it had come from. And standing in the door way was a…turtle.

"Sensei," cried Lee as he went into a begging position on his hands and knees.

"Lee," yelled the turtle. "That move is forbidden. How dare you defy your sensei's warnings? Now you must face Gai." With that, Gai appeared in a puff of smoke on top of the turtle. Everyone was shocked to see an old version of Lee. Without warning, the new spandex wearing man punched Lee. Lee then got into a sitting position as Gai put his hands on Lee's shoulders.

"Lee-kun," said Gai as he began to cry. "It's alright. Mistakes are part of learning. It is all a part of the springtime of youth." And with that, they both began to hug and cry. Behind them, the image of waves crashing against the rocks appeared scaring everyone including Anko.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

This was too much for Team 7. Anko made her way to the stairs and began to walk up when the hug fest stopped. Gai told Lee that after the exam was over he would have to run around the village 200 times. When Gai was done with that he looked at the team that was now walking up the stairs together, not knowing that they were praying that he would leave them alone. Sadly Kami was not on their side as Gai just appeared right in front of them.

"So you must be Kakashi's adorable pupils," said Gai.

"Ah, you know Kakashi-sense?" asked Naruto. Gai laughed.

"Of course," said Gai. "I guess you could say that we are rivals. So far the score is 20 to 19 in my favor." As if that was all he wanted to tell them, he vanished again.

-x-

Team 7 walked down a hallway to where the room was. They spotted the door and in front of it was Kakashi. He told them that the reality was he was not there to wish them good luck, but to stop them if all three didn't show up. After that, he stepped out of the way and let them into the exam room.

The room was packed with shinobi. The age range seemed to be 13 to 30. Most of them seemed to be from their village, but that didn't make them friendly. Some even looked like they were ready for school and not a shinobi exam. Those that did look like they were here for a shinobi exam had angry scowls. As soon as Team 7 entered, several groups looked at them and kept an eagle eye on them. Most of these teams seemed to be from Ame.

"Sasuke-kun," came an ear piercing scream. A moment later, Sasuke was grabbed by Ino. A moment later Shikamaru and Choji appeared behind her.

"So you guys are here to," said Shikamaru. "Troublesome."

"Don't worry," said Kiba as he and his group walked towards them. "You won't be here long. We're going to wipe the floor with your asses."

"I'd like to see that happen dog breath," said Naruto with a feral grin.

"It's not like you can stop me dobe," said Kiba.

"Kiba-kun, stop causing a scene," said Hinata. Immediately Kiba backed down. She then turned to Naruto and smiled. "I'm glad to see you here." Anko narrowed her eyes and then stepped between them.

"Remember that we are enemies here," said Anko.

"But I could never think of Naruto-kun as my enemy," said Hinata.

"Would you kids keep it down," came a voice. Then turned and saw a teenager with silver hair and glasses walking towards them. "It must be your first time since you are all acting like a bunch of school kids on the playground."

"And you are?" demanded Sasuke.

"Oh, my name is Yakushi Kabuto," said Kabuto. "Look behind you." The rookie nine looked at the room and saw more people staring at them with angry glares. "Everyone is nervous about this exam and are a little on edge. Ame-nins have short tempers and right now anything could throw them off. Also, Iwa is here in the village for the first time. There is also the recently created Oto."

"Wow," said Choji. "You sure know a lot. Is this your second time taking the exam?" Kabuto looked a little sheepish.

"Actually it's my seventh," he said. "This exam is no picnic. Right now I'm just lucky to be alive. That's how brutal these exams are." He then looked on the faces of the genins. They all had some degree of worry. Except for one, Naruto. He had a grin on his face like he was worried that it was going to be boring. He then turned to the room and took a deep breath.

"ALRIGHT YOU BASTRADS!" shouted Naruto as loud as he could. "I HOPE YOU ALL DIDN'T UNPACK YOUR BAGS BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE KICKING ALL OF YOUR ASSES!" The room began to grow cold as Naruto crossed his arms. Now everyone in the room wanted a piece of him. What really got them was that he was still smiling, like he didn't have a care in the world. Some were about to make a move when the door behind the rookie nine was kicked down. Standing there was Sechs with his two female teammates behind him. Everyone quieted as he walked towards Naruto. The rookie nine backed away as he passed them, completely intimidated by his appearance. Naruto turned and the two faced each other.

"So you say you're going to be kicking ass," said Sechs with a smile.

"Hai," said Naruto with his grin still intact. Then, Sechs threw his head back and began to laugh. Everyone stared at him like he was nuts. Then, Sechs swung his arm around Naruto's neck and got him into a head lock.

"Why can't more people have guts like this guy?" asked Sechs to no one in particular. He then turned to the large group as he let go of Naruto. "I say anyone who is nervous should just get the fuck out of here. This isn't an exam for sissies. But if you're too scared to move, I'll be happy to help you out."

"Hey now," said Naruto. "Don't take all the fun." Once again, everyone was looking at them like they were insane.

"You seem like you would put up a good fight," said Sechs to Naruto. "Maybe after I take down the asshole I'm lookin for then me and you can have a good fight."

"Who are you looking for?" asked Naruto.

"Just the strongest guy here who is taking the exam," said Sechs. "It's his first year taking the exam, but the guy has skills. I'll bet he was at the top of his class at the academy."

"That sounds like him over there," said Kiba as he pointed at Sasuke. Sechs turned his head and saw Ino still holding onto Sasuke. Sechs then pointed a finger at Sasuke.

"So you're him," said Sechs. "Well before this exam is over your head will be mine, Uzumaki Naruto!" Everyone then face faulted to the floor.

"Ah, that's not Naruto-kun," said Kabuto as he got up. He then pulled out one of his cards and pushed some chakra into it. "Let's see. Uzumaki Naruto, age 13. Dead last at the academy and a member of Team 7. Has a talent for Fūton jutsus. Has completed 15 C-ranked mission and amazingly one A-ranked mission. He has a cousin named Haku who is a terrible cook. He is listed in the Bingo books as a C-ranked shinobi wanted in Ame. They will only pay if he is captured alive. He has been given the nickname Kaze-shu by Hanzo himself."

"I knew all that already!" yelled Sechs. "Well, not the cousin part. I just want to know what he looks like!" Kabuto turned the picture around so that Sechs could see the image next to the data. He stared at it for a long time before turning to face the right shinobi. Naruto just waved at him. If looks could kill, Sechs's look of anger could kill a Kage. "Your ass is mine, got that!"

"Hai, hai," said Naruto as he waved him off.

Before anymore could be said several jonin's appeared.

"That's enough maggots. Fighting will not be tolerated unless we say so. Try this again and you will be failed. My name is Ibiki and I will be your first examiner."

"Fine," said Naruto. "What's the first test?" Ibiki smirked as he held up the test paper. Naruto saw it and went pale. Next to him was an equally pale Sechs.

A few moments later they were all seated for the written portion. Naruto took his seat next to Hinata. Inside Hinata's head was a little chibi figure of her doing a little dance. Anko was seated near the back, glaring at Hinata with enough force to burn a hole through her back.

"All right I'll go over the questions once and there will be no questions. The exam will have ten questions. You will start out with ten points and for every question you get wrong, you will lose one point. So, if you miss two questions your score will be an eight. If you are caught cheating, you will lose two points. If you get a zero, you fail. Caught cheating three times and you fail automatically. Also, this test will be taken as a team. If one of you fails, you all fail. The tenth question will be given at the last fifteen minutes."

The test was given out and was quickly begun. Naruto looked over the exam and tried to decide what to do. He looked at the first question and decided to try the next one. This became a trend. That was until he saw question 7. The question asked what elemental chakra was, how a person can find out what type they were, and give an example of how a person trains with it. A smile came across his face as he began to write his answer down. As he did, he realized that he had just passed. After all, according to the rules, all you had to do was not get a zero and you passed.

Everyone else was using their special gifts or abilities to get the information. Tenten used mirrors to get the information to Lee. Shino was using his bugs and Kiba was using Akamaru. Neji, Sasuke, and Hinata used their doujutsus. Gaara used his third eye to look at other people's paper.

Anko bit her thumb and then summoned a small snake. This one she knew could make itself invisible. Sadly, it didn't have any venom but in this case she didn't mind at all.

"Alright," she said to the snake on her lap. "Go get me the test answers."

"No," said the snake. Tick marks appeared on Anko's face.

"Why not," asked Anko with as much sweetness as she could.

"I refuse to help others cheat," it replied. Anko reached down, grabbed it in her hand so only its head was showing and began to squeeze.

"Help me or else the next time I summon you it will be in a blender," she threatened. The snake nodded and Anko let it go to do its job.

Soon, the fifteen minute marker came up.

"All right, time for the last question. However there are special rules to it. First you have the option of not taking it. If you choose not to take it you fail. If you take the question and miss it you get an automatic zero and are banned from ever taking this exam ever again."

"That's bogus," shouted Kiba. "There are others here who have taken this exam before."

"That's true, but I wasn't in charge before," Said Ibiki. "Now I am and I'm making the rules. It's just your unlucky break."

Soon several teams were dismissed due to fear.

"Anyone else," he asked. That was when Naruto slammed his fist onto the desk.

"Hey, just give us the damn question already."

"Are you sure? You might be stuck as a genin for the rest of your life," said Ibiki.

"I'm not going to run away. Even if I miss it I will still work to become Hokage. I'm not afraid to put everything on the line."

Ibiki noticed that everyone else had been encouraged by his words and where standing there ground. To say he was impressed was an understatement. He had never met anyone who could dispel the fear he placed in other with such ease.

"Very well then," he said and paused for a few seconds. "Everyone in this room…passes."

"What!?" cried several people.

"I will explain. As many of you figured out the purpose of this test was not to see what you knew, but how well you could gather information. To supply you with correct answers, several people were placed in the room as your targets. Then, it was up to up to share this information with your teammates."

"O.K. we get that," said the blond Suna-nin. "So what was the deal with the tenth question?"

"In the world of the shinobi you will be given many difficult tasks like the one I gave you. When you get them, will you be able to say no because you don't have enough information? The answer is no. as chunin, you will be placed in many difficult situations and will have to think on your feet and will not be able to say no to them. The last question was to test your resolve. I congratulate you all on passing the first test. Please wait here for your next examiner."

"No need," said a loud voice as a man came crashing through a wall. "I, Zaraki Kenpachi, shall take you to the next exam!"


	13. Chapter 13

The wait is over! My exams are done. Do you know what this means? It means I can write again!

My beta is having some computer problems. Once he fixes the problem, this chapter will be reloaded. Just FYI.

-x-

The room was silent as they stared at the crazy, one eyed man who had just walked through the wall. His long black hair stood up in several spikes with bells at the end of each spike. A thin scar went vertically over his other eye. He wore the standard jonin uniform with a sword at his side. His crazy, insane smile caused chills to fill the room.

"Kenpachi," said Ibiki after a moment. "How the hell did you make it here in time?"

"Its simple silly," said a different voice. Just then, a girl with short pink hair popped out from behind Kenpachi's shoulder. "I told Ken-chan where to go." Kenpachi then turned his head to look at the girl.

"Ya," he said. "We left right after the meeting and it took us all this time to get here. Good job Yachiru-chan."

"You went through the wall you idiots!" yelled Ibiki. "There was a door three feet from you! Why didn't you use it?" The two direction challenged bakas shrugged their shoulders.

"My entrances are better," muttered Anko. "At least my way makes sure people remember my name." She then looked over at Naruto who was sitting next to Hinata. The blond had stars in his eyes as he stared at Kenpachi.

"So cool," said Naruto. "I'll have to remember making entrances like that!" In another part of the room, Sechs was thinking the same thing.

"Hey Ibiki," said Kenpachi after he scanned the room. "There seems to be a lot more people than usual. What's going on, ya getting soft on me?"

"No," said Ibiki as he turned his head to the side. "This means that there are more talented genin this year." On hearing that, Kenpachi began to smile. This meant that there would be more intense fighting going on for the rest of the exam.

"Well that's good," said Kenpachi. "Too bad in the next part at least half of them will be gone." He then turned his attention to the genins. "Alright you worms, follow me to the next exam area! Yachiru-chan, which way?" Everyone face faulted on hearing that.

"That way Ken-chan," said Yachiru as she pointed in the opposite way towards Ibiki. Not wasting a second, Kenpachi began to run forward. Ibiki jumped out of the way as the insane tokubetsu jonin ran right through the wall and kept on running. Before Ibiki could tell everyone where to go without wasting any time, Sechs and Naruto had gotten up and were running after Kenpachi! Together they ran through the hole and began to follow the trail he had made.

"Just go to training field 44," said Ibiki as he covered his face with his hand.

-x-

"Like hell I'll let you get there before me Uzumaki," swore Sechs who as an inch in front of Naruto.

"We'll see about that," yelled Naruto as he began to speed up. In front of them, Kenpachi grinned. These two were the most interesting genins he had ever seen in the exam. After all, no one had ever tried to follow him before. The reason why, he had no clue. But to have two people actually trying to follow him was giving him a rush because they were keeping up.

"Yachiru-chan," said Kenpachi after a moment. "Are you sure we're going the right way?" Yachiru went into a thinking pose on his back before pointing at the Hokage tower.

"Go that way," she said. "It's a short cut." Kenpachi nodded.

-x-

Sarutobi was sitting behind his desk as he did his paperwork. Yes, the bane of all those who have reached the top. Writing down supply orders, updating the Daimyo, insurance claims, and so many other things that could drive a man to madness. Personally, he wanted nothing more than to get away for a while. But that would mean he would have to get a sit-in who would be making all the shots or worse the council. No way in hell would he allow that. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," said the Hokage as he set down his pen. The door opened and Haku entered the room. In her hand was a basket. The old man smiled at her, thankful for a small break. "Ah, Haku-chan. What can I do for you?"

"Well," said the young girl. "I wanted to thank you for all that you have done. So I made you something." She then reached into her basket and pulled out a muffin. A muffin that looked like it was lightly glowing green. Sarutobi began to sweat a bit and began to wish he was doing paperwork.

"Ah, well, ah," stammered the old man as Haku placed the muffin in front of him. She then smiled at him as she waited for him to try it. It was the kind of smile that said that she had put her whole heart and soul into making it and would be crushed if he said no. Suddenly the paperwork didn't seem so bad.

Slowly, very slowly, Sarutobi reached down to grab it. Then, just before he touched it, the sound of a stampede was heard. They both turned there heads in the direction of the sound and watched as the wall broke. Kenpachi raced in and out of the office destroying everything in his path followed by Naruto and Sechs. Normally, Sarutobi would be furious with this. However, the psycho had also destroyed his desk as well as the muffin that was on it.

"Those jerks," growled Haku as she looked were they were going. "I spent all night making that muffin. They will pay!" With that, Haku sped off in pursuit.

-x-

An hour later, the group arrived at training field 44 where the rest of the genin had been waiting very patiently. The course Yachiru had taken them on had gone through several houses, Hiashi's room, the sewers, and up and down the streets. It was only when she saw a sign that said free candy that had been set up by the other exam instructors did she point in the right direction. When they got there, Kenpachi looked like he had just come back from getting the newspaper. Naruto, Sechs, and Haku were all gasping for air since they had run all out this entire time.

"I (pant) beat you (pant) Uzumaki," said Sechs as he fought to keep standing up. Sweat was dripping from his nose and his clothing clung to his body.

"Ya (pant) right," said Naruto. "We got (pant) here at (pant, pant) the same time."

"You wish," said Sechs. "I (pant) was one step (pant) ahead of (pant) you."

"Like hell you were," said Naruto as he felt his second wind kicking in.

"Where's the candy?" cried Yachiru as she looked around.

"There is none," said a chunin. "We just put that sign up so that you would get here and AAHHHHH!" The chunin was cut short as the pink haired girl had jumped off of Kenpachi's shoulder and bit the chinin's hand.

"Well better get this started," said Kenpachi as he ignored what Yachiru was doing. He then turned to the rest of the genins and cleared his throat. When everyone heard that, they began to move close to their teammates and stick close to people from their own villages. "This is training area 44, also known as the Forest of Death. Within this area you will be doing a survival exercise." He paused as he reached behind his back and pulled out two scrolls. One said Heaven and the other said Earth. "The exercise is very simple. Each team will be given one of these scrolls. In order to pass the exam your team must find a team that has the other and take it from them. After that, you must make your way to the center of the forest where you will find a tower. That is your destination."

"Is that all?" asked a female Kusa-nin.

"Hardly," said Kenpachi. "There are a few rules. The first and most important is that you can't open the scrolls. Sometimes a client will ask you to deliver sensitive documents or something personal. So we need to know if you are trustworthy. If you open them, you are out of the exam. The second rule is that you can't leave the training area until the exam is over or you fail. This part of the exam will last five days."

"WHAT?" screamed a horrified Choji. "What about food?"

"Kill something and grill it," said Kenpachi. "The last rule is that the whole team must survive and make it to the tower in order to pass. If one person dies then the whole team loses. So, if there are any weaklings here who want to back out now is the time to do so." No one moved. Kenpachi then pulled out some forms. "Alright then. Before we can begin I need everyone to sign this waver. This will keep the village from being liable if someone dies. Other than the three rules I have explained to you, there are no other rules which means that killing is allowed. The village doesn't want to have any conflict over the death of one of you little shitheads. Yachiru-chan will pass these out now."

On hearing her name, Yachiru released her hold on the chunin and grabbed the papers. Then with amazing speed she handed everyone a paper and a pen. When she finished, she hopped back on Kenpachi's shoulder.

Naruto looked at the paper and sighed. Seemed pointless in a way. People had been trying to kill him his whole life, he doubted that the council would blame anyone if he were to die. Now he was going to sign a paper that would say it was ok during the exam. With another sigh he signed the stupid paper just as Sasuke stormed over to him.

"Alright dobe, talk," demanded Sasuke. He had wanted to ask Naruto ever since he had heard about what Kabuto told them. However, he never got the chance to ask him right away with Ibiki showing up.

"About what?" asked Naruto.

"Why are you in the Bingo book?" demanded Sasuke. "Who the hell is this Hanzo and why did he give you the title of Kaze-shu?" Naruto could only look a little confused.

"Ah, lets see," said Naruto as he folded his arms and began to think. "Hanzo-ojiisan is the leader of the shinobi in Amegakure no Sato. I only met him once and he showed me around the village. But to be honest, I have no clue why he put me in the Bingo book or why he gave me a nickname." He then smiled. "But I guess it is cool that I am in the Bingo book."

"Allow me to explain," said Sechs as he moved back over to Naruto. "Hanzo-sama is one of the greatest shinobi in the world and thinks that Uzumaki here is something special. He has ever since he first met him." Sechs then began to grind his teeth for a moment before continuing. "Then he heard about the Nami mission your team went on and just gave him a nickname."

"So why did he put the dobe in the Bingo book?" demanded Sasuke. Sechs just shrugged.

"Who knows," he replied. "Some people think it's because he wants to train him personally. Other's think he wants to give him more experience by fighting more. And there are some who think that he wants to stop him before he gets to strong."

"Wow," cried Naruto. "To think that Hanzo-ojiisan is doing all of this for me."

"Ya," spat Sechs. "To do all of that for an outsider." Naruto stared at Sechs and Sechs stared right back. "Listen Kaze-shu, a lot of people in Ame are pissed at you. Paying so much attention to an outsider when he has a whole village of capable shinobi is insulting. What makes you so special that you get his praise?"

"I guess I'm more than capable," answered Naruto. Sechs let out a growl before turning around and moving back to his teammates.

Sechs' teammates were twin sisters. Their names were Elf and Zwölf. They both wore tight black dress like outfits that showed off every curve they had. A slit on both sides of their dress made it easier for them to move around. They both had plump lips and short black hair. As he approached them, they were gossiping about which boys were hot and which were not.

"There is one thing that bothers me," said Naruto.

"What's that?" asked Sasuke.

"How did Kabuto know that Haku-itoko was a bad cook?" asked Naruto. Sasuke blinked, realizing that it was a good question.

"Allow me to explain," said Kabuto as he appeared out of nowhere. "I was helping my father when he treated Kakashi-sensei when your team returned from wave. We had to basically pump his stomach. Once I heard that she was your cousin I made a note about it, just in case."

In another part of the crowd, the Iwa genin team was staring at Naruto. The weakest of the three was named Bakken. He had short, flat black hair and tanned skin. His body was covered with large scars that were visible due to the tunic like outfit he was wearing minus the top part. Then there was Gama. He had white skin with a green cloth wrapped around his bald head. His attire was much like Bakken's. The finale member and most dressed was named Risho. He had black hair that went down to his neck hair and narrow eyes. He was dressed in a black outfit with some orange thrown in. On his shoulders were some padding that looked like gems.

"So when do we strike?" asked Bakken.

"As soon as we find him in the forest," said Risho as he rolled his eyes.

After awhile, teams were called to a closed tent. There they turned in their papers and received their scroll. After that, they were told which gate to go to and to wait until the exam started. As they waited, Kiba kept staring at Haku who was giving her cousin some advice or something. He didn't really care.

Kankuro was staring at Naruto. He couldn't wait to get back at the blond who mocked him. He then looked at the rest of his team and noticed that Gaara was staring at someone. He followed Gaara's gaze and smirked. Gaara was staring at Haku! Kankuro nudged his sister and then whispered in her ear. She gave him a 'no way in hell' look. Kankuro just smiled and began to nod. Temari shook her head no. Then, Kankuro decided to get the facts in the worst possible way.

"So Gaara," said Kankuro as Temari took a few steps back. "What are you looking at?"

"Why do you care?" demanded Gaara as he turned to stare at his older brother.

"Just wonder man," said Kankuro as he held up his hands. Gaara was silent for a moment and Kankuro lowered his hands. Gaara then pointed at Haku.

"There is something about her," said Gaara. "For some odd reason I can't stop staring at her. Perhaps she is using some kind of genjutsu." Kankuro did his best not to laugh. "Or perhaps she has some special ability that I am unaware of." Kankuro was now holding his breath to keep from laughing. "I have thought about killing her to get rid of this desire, but something inside is telling me that it would be wrong. I do not understand this." Gaara then looked at Kankuro who was now turning blue. He then turned to Temari who jumped back a bit. "Temari, what do you think?"

"Ah me?" she asked as she pointed to herself. "Well, maybe she's not doing anything to you."

"Are you saying that there is something wrong with me?" demanded Gaara. Temari gulped. Now she knew they were in dangerous territory.

"I think it's a guy thing," said Temari quickly. "You know, your body is maturing and all that." Before Gaara could ask or threaten them, their team was called to get a scroll.

-x-

As soon as the gate opened, Team 7 rushed into the forest. They ran for awhile until Naruto stopped them.

"What's the matter dobe?" demanded Sasuke.

"I need to take a leak," answered Naruto as he pointed to some trees.

"Why didn't you take care of that before?" demanded Sasuke.

"Because I didn't have to go back then," answered Naruto. He then turned and began to look for a place to take a piss where no one was looking. He found a spot and then pulled his pants and boxers down. A moment later he let out a sigh of relief. Just as he finished, he heard a sound he hadn't heard in a long time. The sound of someone using an Ame breathing mask. Naruto turned around as two Ame shinobi jumped down from the trees.

-x-

"Hey guys," said Naruto as he returned to his team. Anko and Sasuke took one look at him and then got into their battle stances. "What's going on?"

"We know you're not Naruto," said Sasuke. "Naruto doesn't have a kunai holder on his leg. He keeps all his kunai and shuriken in his pouch."

"Also you have the wrong amount of whisker marks," said Anko. "Naruto-kun has three whiskers on each cheek, not four. Your henge sucks!" 'Naruto' chuckled before going puff and was then replaced with an Ame-nin.

"Not bad," said the Ame-nin through the breathing device.

-x-

"I feel so violated!" cried Naruto. "Your both sick for watching a guy take a piss!" Both Ame-nins sweat dropped.

"Lets just grab the kid and go," said the one eyed Ame-nin.

"Lets," said the Ame-nin who had both eyes covered. The two then rushed at Naruto who said, "**Semputate!**" Naruto then rose into the air and began to spin around until a sphere of wind had surrounded him. The two Ame-nins were sucked into the attack, going around and around in the air stream along with branches and several rocks. Then it stopped, sending everything flying in all directions around Naruto.

"If that's the quality of an Ame shinobi then I can see why Hanzo-ojiisan likes me," said Naruto as he began to walk back to his teammates.

-x-

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" yelled Sasuke as he fired a fire ball at the Ame-nin. The Ame-nin jumped back to dodge it and then raced away, realizing that he was in over his head. Sasuke was about to follow him when he saw Naruto calmly walk towards them. Acting quickly, Sasuke readied his kunai.

"So you ran into them too teme," said Naruto. Hearing that, Sasuke lowered his kunai and scowled at Naruto.

"Alright," said Sasuke. "We're going to need a password." The next thing that Naruto knew was Sasuke giving him a very long and complicated password. Naruto was about to complain when a powerful wind appeared and blew them all away.

Naruto landed a good distance away using the wind to soften the fall. He silently swore to get back at whoever did that. Using his element to attack him was bad enough, but letting it happen was even worse. If he ever met the bastard who did that then he would show them how to use the wind in the most painful of ways.

Naruto's train of thought was stopped when a shadow loomed over him. Then he heard a hissing sound. Naruto looked up and saw a giant snake bearing its fangs at him.

"It's one thing right after the other," said Naruto right before the snake lunged at him.

-x-

At the same time, Sasuke and Anko were making a new friend. Well, not really. Anko and Sasuke had landed on top of each other once the winds subsided. Soon after they got up, they saw Naruto walk over to them. Sasuke demanded that Naruto give them the password and he did it perfectly. This of course proved he was a fake. The fake Naruto undid the genjutsu and became the Kusa-nin.

"Alright," said Anko. "Where the hell is Naruto-kun?" The Kusa-nin smirked.

"You mean that blond baka?" she asked. "I believe that he is right now playing with one of my pets."

-x-

Naruto used the wind to get out of the way as the snake bit into the earth. As the snake began to lift its head once again, Naruto began to spin his arm to form his ultimate attack. By the time the snake was at eye level with Naruto, the fly nin shot at it and yelled "**Sempuken!**" as he hit it's nose. The end result was completely destroying its head sending a few pieces in the air.

-x-

One of the snake's fangs traveled a ways and pierced through the head of a genin wearing an orange sweatshirt with a hood.

"Oh my Kami," cried the dead boys teammate. "He killed Kenji!"

"You bastard!" yelled the other teammate.

-x-

Naruto flew up above the trees and decided to start looking for his teammates. This, however, proved to be a problem since all he could see were the tops of trees that still had all their leaves. After a few minutes, Naruto decided to flew back to where he had started and set out on foot. Once again, he realized that he had no idea where he had started from.

"Oh shit," swore Naruto as he began to realize something. "I'm lost!"

Ending it here for now. The reason being, I need ideas for Anko's jutsus. I am basing her attacks on poison and snakes. If you have any ideas, please send them along with Japanese translations.


	14. Chapter 14

Well we finally found out what Itachi told Naruto in that genjutsu. I just hope he didn't give Naruto the Sharingan. That would suck. I mean, the Sharingan just keeps getting more and more abilities making it seem cheap. I wonder if Naruto knows that Jiraiya is dead? Hopefully the next chapter will have less Sasuke and Naruto getting back to his advanced Rasengan training. Also, what happened to Kisame?

To all of you who know German, you are right about the names of Sechs and his teammates. I have modeled them after a manga that I love and I bet a lot of you don't know about. A pity since it rocks. Oh well, what can I do about it.

Now for Anko to shine. I would like to thank Oboro-kun, Vorago, and Xyshuryn for the jutsus. I'll be using them more later so if you didn't see them then please just wait. Let's rock!

-x-

Sasuke and Anko stood ready to fight the Kusa-nin. Sasuke was confident that they could take her without Naruto. Anko was a bit worried about Naruto. Because of their location, it would be harder for Naruto to find them. After all, from the sky everything looks the same over a forest. That would mean that he would have to go on foot where he would be a target for anyone who saw him.

Anko was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts as the Kusa-nin reached behind her and grabbed something. Slowly she pulled it out and revealed it to be her scroll. It was an earth scroll, the one they needed.

"Ah," said the woman. "I see you have noticed my earth scroll. All I need is your heaven scroll and I have the complete set." She then brought the scroll to her mouth and then opened it. Her tongue wrapped around the scroll like a snake wraps around a mouse. Slowly she pushed it into her throat and swallowed it whole, making the two genin in front of her a bit grossed out. "Now only one of us will be walking away from this alive."

When she said that, she stared right at the two of them with a powerful killer intent. Both Sasuke and Anko gasped in fright. They saw themselves being bombarded with kunai and then torn to shreds. Then they both fell backwards on their asses and began to pant. _Was that a genjutsu_, thought Sasuke right before he threw up. A moment later he tried to get up, but fell backwards again. _No, it's more than that. She's so bloodthirsty that I can feel it. Looking into her eyes I saw the moment of my own death. Who or what is she?_

"Anko," said Sasuke slowly as he looked over at her. He looked in shock as he saw her slowly stand up straight. Anko looked at the Kusa-nin with as much courage as she could.

_So_, thought the Kusa-nin. _It looks like Anko-chan isn't as helpless as I would have guessed._

"Wait," said Sasuke causing both girls to look at him. With whatever strength and courage he had left, he reached behind him and took out their heaven scroll. "This is what you wanted, right? If we give you this you'll have no reason to fight us."

"Very wise," said the Kusa-nin with a sick smile. She then looked over at a branch and saw a snake near a birds nest. "Sometimes when the prey is cornered by the predator, it's only chance for survival is to offer it something else."

"Here, take it," said Sasuke as he tossed her the scroll. However, before it had even traveled a foot, Anko moved and caught it. Sasuke stared at her like she was insane. "Stop being a baka! Just leave this to me and…" He was never able to finish what he was yelling at her due to her fist moving into his face. The Kusa-nin watched as Sasuke fell to the ground. The moment Sasuke hit the ground he used his arms like a spring and shot back up. He landed several feet away from Anko. "Baka, you don't know what you're doing!"

"I thought that I knew who I landed on," said Anko. "But now I'm not so sure. There's no way you can be Uchiha Sasuke."

"What are you talking about you baka?" demanded Sasuke. "It's me!"

"Ya right," said Anko. "Sure you look like him and talk like him, but I know that Sasuke isn't as big as a coward as you. You really think handing the scroll over will get us out of this? Look at that freak, she has killer written all over her face. The truth is that you choked and are afraid."

Sasuke didn't respond. Deep down, he knew she was right. That woman scared the piss out of him for reasons he couldn't comprehend. But he had to do something that might get them out of this. He was about to say something when the woman began to laugh.

"Kukuku," she laughed. "Anko-chan is right about you Sasuke-kun. You have choked. You're not nearly as entertaining as I thought you would be. As for the scroll, I could easily kill you both and take it like that."

"That's were you're wrong," said Anko as she turned to face the Kusa-nin. She then tucked the scroll into her trench coat pocket. "You have to get past me in order to get the scroll."

-x-

Outside the forest, Kenpachi was sitting under a tree as he watched Yachiru draw.

"Well," he said aloud. "I guess that time is coming up soon. Some of the quicker ones will be making their way to the Tower soon. Guess we better get going."

"Kay, Ken-chan," said Yachiru as she began to put everything away. Then, suddenly, one of the proctors appeared before them.

"Kenpachi-san," he said. "We have found three dead bodies. We think you should see them."

"I've seen plenty of dead bodies," said Kenpachi. "Besides, in this exam, people die all the time. It was probably a cause of some team getting a little impatient."

"Please," said the shinobi. "You must see this. There is something wrong with the bodies."

"Fine," said Kenpachi as Yachiru jumped onto his shoulder. Kenpachi then followed the shinobi a ways until they came upon the bodies and two other shinobi who were keeping watch of the area. Sure enough, there was something very wrong about them. It wasn't that they were dead, oh no. it was that their faces looked like they had been melted away.

"We checked their bodies and found their ID's," said another proctor. "They were all Kusa-nins that were to take part in the chunin exam."

Kenpachi just stared at the bodies as memories came to him of the only person he knew who could do such a thing.

--Flashback--

Kenpachi was running down a long corridor. He was younger and had less scars. He black hair was no longer pointed and ran down his back. Besides him were several other shinobi, all ANBU. Soon they came upon the end and found a door. An ANBU opened it slowly.

Inside the room was Orochimaru. The room he was in was dimly lit. Jars of unknown items covered the walls. And at the other end was a large cylinder that was big enough to hold a person. Orochimaru stood in front of it with his back to them.

"My, my," said Orochimaru as he turned to face them. "I was sure sensei would have been here first. Looks like I was wrong."

"Where is she?!" demanded Kenpachi.

"And just who are you referring to?" asked Orochimaru in a mocking tone.

"Don't play games with us," said one of the ANBU. "Kenpachi-san saw you take Kusajishi Yachiru. People have been disappearing all over the village and this is the first lead we had. Of course, we had suspected you but never had any real proof."

"I see," said Orochimaru with a sick smile. "Then I guess I'd better show you." With that, he moved out of the way so everyone could see what was in the cylinder. Kenpachi's eyes widened as he saw Yachiru floating in the green liquid.

"Wh-What have you done?" he asked in shock and horror.

"I am using her as a test subject," said Orochimaru. "I want to learn all the jutsus in this world. I want them all. However, to learn and master them all would take more than a lifetime and after I die new ones would pop up. So in order to get what I want I first need to be immortal. Your pink haired friend was just my latest experiment. I think I might have found a way to stop the aging process. However, I'm not so sure what the side effects will be. It might affect her brain which is something I'm not sure I want."

"Then you never should have done this," said the voice of the Hokage as he appeared. The two began to stare at each other. Suddenly a powerful wind appeared and many of the ANBU fell to the ground with slash marks on their chests. Orochimaru then vanished and reappeared behind the Hokage and then took off.

--End Flashback--

"So that monster is back," said Kenpachi as his eye narrowed. He then turned to the proctors. "Go inform the Hokage about this. Also, get ANBU to head into the forest of death. I'll be heading there myself." And with that, Kenpachi took off in the right direction for a change.

-x-

"Oh really," said the Kusa-nin. "I'm sure I can handle that!" With that said, she took off towards Anko with a kunai. Anko quickly made some hand signs and then raised her arms to block. Thinking that whatever she had tried to do failed, the Kusa-nin appeared in front of Anko and brought down her kunai into the purple haired girls arms. "What the?" she cried when the kunai refused to pierce her skin. The Kusa-nin then noticed that Anko's hands were covered with scales that went right down into her jacket.

"**Tetsu Hakari**," said Anko. "Hope you liked that." Anko then jumped back and threw several shuriken at her opponent who dodged them with ease.

"Interesting," said the Kusa-nin. "I had no idea you knew that." Anko's eyes narrowed.

"How would you know what I'm capable of?" she demanded.

"Kukuku," laughed the Kusa-nin. "Oops, I think I said too much." She then brought a hand next to her face and blew. But instead of air came fire that shot right towards Anko who didn't move. The flames engulfed the genins form and appeared to burn her alive. However, once it cleared, all that was seen was a deep fried snake. "Hebi bunshin?" Above her was Anko with her Urumi ready to strike. Anko threw back her arm and then shot it in the direction of her enemy. In a second, the blade of the Urumi hit the Kusa-nins skull and went right through her. But when Anko landed, the enemy became a pile of mud.

"Shit!" she swore.

"Shit indeed," said the Kusa-nin from behind her, causing Anko's eyes to widen. "If that had hit me, I would be in some serious pain."

"Damn you!" yelled Anko as she spun around. As she did, she sent the blade of her weapon towards the Kusa-nin. This time, however, she caught the blade between her middle and index fingers. Acting quickly, Anko dropped her weapon and began to make some hand signs. Once she finished she yelled, "**Dokueki Tsuba no Jutsu!**" Then, from her mouth, came a large blast of some purple liquid that flew towards the Kusa-nin at amazing speeds. The Kusa-nin saw this and jumped up into the trees to avoid being hit. Anko's attack ending up hitting a tree close to Sasuke, dissolving a large chunk of it in seconds and causing it to fall. Anko jumped up into the trees as well to avoid being hit by the tree.

"I guess I should stop taking you so lightly little Anko-chan," said the Kusa-nin. She bit her thumb and placed some of the blood on a seal that was on her arm. "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" A large cloud of white smoke appeared and hid the Kusa-nin from sight. A moment later she could be seen riding on the head of a giant snake.

"But how?" cried Anko as she stared at snake. "Only my family has that contract. Unless you're working for my grandfather!"

"Kukuku," laughed the Kusa-nin. "You're only half right Anko-chan." Before she could say more, the snake spoke up.

"What happened to my nii-san?" asked the snake.

"You mean he hasn't returned yet?" asked the Kusa-nin in surprise. "I thought I told him he could return after he took out the blond."

"Well something happened to him," said the snake. "Manda believes that he is dead. Is that true?"

While this was going on, Anko decided to take action. She made several hand signs again and yelled "**Dokueki Tsuba no Jutsu!**" Only this time, instead of one large ball there were at least a dozen smaller balls. The snake saw this and began to move to avoid. However, due to its large size and the number of acidic spheres being shot at him, he couldn't avoid them all. The first hit him on his side. The snake raised his head and screeched in pain and another hit him below his head. Two more hit him on the side, but the snake was already dead.

"Baka," said the Kusa-nin as he stared at the stupid snake that stood on. She then looked at Anko. "I think I have had enough of you little Anko-chan." With that, she vanished from sight and reappeared in front of Anko. The next think that Anko knew was her opponent had punched her in the gut hard enough to send her flying and grab the scroll at the same time.

-x-

Meanwhile, with Naruto, he was still lost. He was holding a branch straight up with one hand. He then let go and let it fall to the ground. The branch landed with its end pointing west.

"Well, I guess I'll go that way," said Naruto as he took off. The image then zoomed out to show the entire forest. A chibi Naruto appeared to show where he was and a chibi Anko and Sasuke appeared to show where they were. It turned out that Naruto was heading in the opposite direction.

-x-

In another area of the forest, two girls were riding a giant beetle made of clay. They were Hisame and Michi. After their loss to Hinata and her teammates, they had returned to a very disappointed Kakuzu. Well, he was more pissed off than angry. He was about to kill them, but after some begging for a second chance changed his mind. So he sent them out again to kill Hinata and if they failed again he would be getting a few new hearts. Now that's motivation!

"I think I see something," said Hisame as she spied something. "Stop this thing."

"Alright," said Michi as her clay monster stopped in its tracks. "But it's art, not a thing."

"Who cares," said Hisame as she jumped off and ran to what she said. Michi soon joined her and looked at. It was a boy in an orange sweatshirt with a snake fang stuck in his head.

"Oh my Kami," cried Hisame. "They killed him!"

"The bastards," said Michi. "But I guess that's that you get when you wear orange. You might as well paint a target on your chest. Anyways, this isn't the one we are looking for."

"Hai, hai," said Hisame. The two went back to the clay beetle and began their search once again. "So, do you think there'll be any cute boys here?"

-x-

"Well now," said the Kusa-nin. "Looks like it's just you and me Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke wanted to run and hide. To get away from that crazy bitch as soon as possible. But then something within him stirred. How could he defeat and kill his brother if he couldn't even stand his ground against this woman? Slowly he stood back up and got into his stance. The woman smiled.

"Here I am," said Sasuke.

"Let's see what you got," said the woman. A moment later she began to run all over the place. So fast, in fact, that the cloud of dirt she created in her wake couldn't keep up. However, Sasuke could with his Sharingan. He could see everything with ease. He jumped to dodge the attack and then let lose flames from his mouth that consumed the area where the enemy nin had stood. When the flames cleared, nothing was there. Then the ground began to crack and race towards Sasuke. Sasuke jumped into the trees to avoid being attacked by the Kusa-nin as she shot out of the ground.

"I see," said the Kusa-nin with a smile. "You are now able to see and predict move movements. You're good." She then leapt up onto the same branch as Sasuke. "But try this. **Fūton: Daitoppa!**" A powerful burst of wind that Sasuke remembered from Naruto shot at him. Sasuke jumped up onto the branch above them and then shot down towards the Kusa-nin.

"I was saving this for the dobe!" he yelled as he made some hand signs. "But you'll do! **Kasei Handou!**" With that yelled, Sasuke raised his foot high above his head as it burst into flames. He then shot it down and hit the Kusa-nin on the head with his attack, setting her ablaze. Sasuke then jumped back and began to gloat. "That's my first original jutsu. I created it while I was off training with Kakashi-sensei. Anything that I hit will be consumed by flames. I still haven't figured out how to do it without hand signs, but I will soon. Not like you have to worry about it again."

"It was impressive, I'll give you that," said the Kusa-nins voice from behind Sasuke. He turned around and saw her standing there. He then looked at what he thought had been the Kusa-nin as it turned into a pile of mud. "Combining ninjutsu and taijutsu into a single attack is not something that the average genin can do. But I expected more from you Sasuke-kun." With that, she jumped into the air and began to throw a storm of kunai Sasuke. Sasuke, in return, threw several shuriken at her that seemed to miss. However, tied to each one was a wire that allowed Sasuke to control them. They spun around the tree and the Kusa-nin so that she was tied up.

"Alright then," said Sasuke as he made some more hand signs. "This one isn't as original. I got the idea from watching that baka so many times. **Kaseishurren!**" This time flames appeared around Sasuke's fist like Naruto's Sempuken. However, the flames seemed to come together like a blade or a drill. Sasuke then shot towards the Kusa-nin at full force and hit her in the center of her chest. The flames pierced her through her and the tree, creating a circular shaped hole through both with scorch marks along the sides of both. Sasuke turned around and slowly began to walk away. He didn't want to admit it, but that jutsu took up a lot of chakra.

Then he heard a sound that caused him to stop. The sound of mud piling on top of mud. He turned around and all that was left of his opponent was a pile of mud. His eyes widened in fear as he saw her come out of the ground without disturbing it at all.

"Very impressive Sasuke-kun," she said with a wicked smile. "Now here's a reward for you." With that, the Kusa-nins neck shot out and raced for Sasuke. Once close enough, she bite his shoulder. Then…

"**Doku Kugi no Jutsu!**" yelled Anko from behind the Kusa-nin as she slashed her back with her right hand. Anko's nails on her right hand were now several inches longer and were dripping a purple liquid. The Kusa-nin shrieked out in pain as she let go of Sasuke and began to retract her neck. However, she only got halfway before it fell to the ground. After seeing this, Anko raced over to Sasuke.

"What the hell did she do to you?" Anko demanded as she looked at the spot where the woman had bitten him. She was about to check for poison but stopped as the wound began to change shape. Soon, it looked like a seal.

Then, without warning, the Kusa-nins mouth opened. Anko turned her head in time to see the Kusa-nin come out of her own mouth. Anko back away a bit in fear as first the head came out. The arms soon followed. Then the chest and finally the legs.

"My, my," said the Kusa-nin. "What are they teaching you these days? That was a low blow, attacking me from behind while I was distracted. It makes me so proud to see that some of my blood courses through your veins Anko-chan." The Kusa-nin then reached up to her face and pulled down. Now Anko saw who they had really been fighting.

"Orochimaru-ojiisan," she said as sweat dropped from her chin.

"Kukuku," said Orochimaru in his own voice. "In the flesh. I look forward to seeing how you all do in this exam. Sasuke-kun I'm sure will get the highest score, but I'm sure you'll get second Anko-chan. But first you have to survive the Oto-nins that serve me." He then pulled out their scroll. The scroll then burst into green flames before their eyes. "Remember me Sasuke-kun. We will meet again. You will seek me out for more power soon. And I'll be waiting to give it to you." And with that, he sank into the ground and Sasuke lost consciousness.

-x-

Kenpachi was running all over the forest in random directions. The only thought in his mind was making him pay for what he did to Yachiru. Because of him, she still had a child's body and a child's mind. It was as if she was forever stuck like that, and he would make that snake bastard pay. Finally, after running for what seemed like forever, he stopped. A moment later Orochimaru began to merge from out the ground.

"Why, hello Kenpachi-kun. Yachiru-chan," said Orochimaru with a sick grin. "How is my favorite lunatic and lab rat doing these days?" Kenpachi moved his hand to his sword.

"Yachiru-chan," he said in a serious tone. "Get off."

"H-Hai," said Yachiru. She leapt off and took up a spot where she could watch the fight.

Kenpachi made the first move and thrusted forwards with his blade. Orochimaru yelled, "**Sen'eijashu!**" as snakes shot out of his sleeve. They flew past Kenpachi's sword and warped themselves around Kenpachi. He was about to break free when a kunai was pressed against his throat from behind. Kenpachi turned his eye and saw another Orochimaru.

"Teme," swore Kenpachi.

"Please deliver a message to sensei for me," said the clone. "Tell him if the exam is canceled, I will destroy this village." With that, the clone turned into a pile of mud and the original sank back into the ground.

-x-

Ok, I can't wait for the next chapter. I have a new poll. Should I get back to Ninja of the Sand or should I start my Naruto/Tenchi crossover?

Jutsu list:

**Tetsu Hakari**: Iron Scales

**Dokueki Tsuba no Jutsu**: Venom Spit Jutsu

**Kasei Handou**: Force of flames kick

**Kaseishurren**: Force of flames drill

**Doku Kugi no Jutsu**: Poison Nail Jutsu


	15. Chapter 15

The new season for Stargate Atlantis has begun. It went very well in my opinion until the end. Why the hell are they getting rid of Carter? Oh wait, the IOA is composed of idiots and power hungry politicians. I wonder how long the city will remain standing or if there will be a mutiny.

Also, I finally saw the fourth Naruto movie. All I can say was it was good. A summoned battle would have made it better. I mean, we always see Naruto using the same jutsus in every movie and it gets a little boring when you can predict how it will end. Naruto hits the bad guy with an altered Rasengan. It happens every time!

Some of you have asked how this story will change now that we know the truth about Itachi and the Uchiha massacre. Not much. And on another note, just because Sasuke made a few new jutsus doesn't mean he just started working on fire manipulation. Kakashi could have started on that during their after hours training sessions. Did you ever think of that?

Let's rock!

-x-

--Flashback--

Danzo was fuming mad. Itachi had been order to kill off his clan in secret for the sake of the village. He could have used this incident against the kind hearted Hokage and overthrow him. Then, after he became Hokage, he could blame Kumo for what had happened that night. Then he could begin the conquest of all the over shinobi villages. He would even go as far as to make the Uzumaki boy a weapon like the one he had heard about in Suna. It would have been so perfect.

Yet Itachi had failed. He couldn't kill his own little brother. Itachi had gone to the Hokage and told him everything that had happened and begged the old fool to protect his brother. Sarutobi had agreed and the truth about that night was covered up. Itachi had been labeled a traitor so that the village wouldn't be torn apart by mistrust and hate towards those in charge. What made Danzo even angrier was that Itachi had gone as far as blackmailing him to make sure that Sasuke would be safe from him.

Suddenly, Danzo sensed two people walking towards him. Soon he saw his co-conspirators, Homaru and Koharu.

"What do you two want?" he asked.

"We have been thinking on how to turn this whole event to our advantage," said Koharu.

"The people do not know that an Uchiha has the potential to summon the Kyuubi," continued Homaru. "Therefore, they did not have the same concerns as we did. Nor did they know of their plot to take over the village."

"This I already know," said Danzo. "Get to the point." Both elders nodded.

"Right now the old Uchiha clan is gone," said Koharu. "Sasuke will most likely want to rebuild it. This will be our chance to take full advantage of his situation. If we can make him indebted and completely loyal to the village then his children will be as well."

"This all started because of Uchiha Madara," said Homaru. "Before Uchiha Sasuke returns to the Uchiha district, we will have already gone through the entire area to erase the truth about him and why he fought Senju Hashirama. We will make sure that he will become a powerful shinobi and one day Hokage."

"Are you insane?" asked Danzo.

"Not at all," said Homaru. "This all originally started over a dispute as to who would become Hokage. You do remember, right?"

"Namikaze Minato and Orochimaru were not the only two candidates to become the Yondaime," said Koharu. "Uchiha Fugaku was also a candidate. He had no chance considering who the other two were, of course. However, he assumed that he should have been named Hokage after Minato-sama's death. However, Sarutobi took that role back and refused to hand it over to him."

"Uchiha Madara also betrayed the village because he did not become Hokage," said Homaru. "Are you seeing a connection?"

"Yes," said Danzo. "Never trust an Uchiha."

"No," said Homaru. "We should have allowed it since their philosophy is closer to ours. Thinking back, imagine what this village would have been like if we didn't have such soft hearted fools running it."

"This is a bad idea," said Danzo. "Sasuke will follow in his families' footsteps and betray the village."

"This is not just our decision," said Koharu. "The rest of the council agrees that we should do everything in our power to restore the Uchiha clan. Hiashi-sama isn't into the idea of making Sasuke-san our future Hokage, but other than that he is willing to go along."

"And what if someone else comes along who might be better suited for the job in the Hokage's eyes?" asked Danzo. Both elders smiled at Danzo. Saying nothing, they both turned around and walked away.

--End flashback--

Night had finally fallen. Most of the teams had already set up their camps and preparing for sleep. Then smarter shinobi had set up traps and had one of them keeping guard. The more foolish and arrogant ones didn't. Needless to say they wouldn't last that long. But there was one team that wasn't getting ready for sleep. That was the team that consisted of Neji, Tenten, and Lee.

"Alright," said Neji as he called the groups attention. "We've rested enough. Let's scout out the area and locate the other teams. Don't engage them, just find out where they are and then meet back here. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Tenten as she got up. Neji may be the best genin taking the exam as far as she knew, but he was not a people person. Once again he had made all the plans without asking them about it. Sure, his plans were good and they had never let them down before. Still, he could have asked them what they thought or something. Was that so much to ask? But this wasn't the place to start a fight or be difficult so it was best just to go along.

"Yosh!" cried Lee. "I shall do my best." Neji nodded and all three jumped into the trees.

-x-

In another part of the forest, an odd encounter was about to take place. Naruto was in the middle of a clearing and his only light was the eerie green glow from one of the muffins Haku had given him before he went into the forest. He had spent all day looking for his two teammates. Now it was dark and locating them would be even harder due to the lack of real light. Not to mention he was tired and hungry.

"Guess I'd better set up camp," said Naruto as he bit his thumb. He then made several hand signs before yelling, "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**"

Meanwhile, Michi and Hisame were close by as they now walked through the forest. They too had spent all day looking for someone and failed. They were unaware that Hinata was already within the safety of the tower.

"Damn it!" yelled Hisame. "Where is that girl?"

"Keep your voice down, baka," hissed Michi. "We'll find her sooner or later. Right now we'd better make camp and start out first thing in the morning."

"Great idea," said Hisame with a yawn. "So, are you going to be making a clay house for us or a cottage?" Michi rolled her eyes.

"We are in a fenced in forest within a village we shouldn't be in," she said. "If I did something like that, I'm sure they would notice. And what do you think would happen then?"

"We would be caught," said Hisame as she sighed disappointedly.

"As long as you understand," said Michi. "So tonight we will be sleeping under the stars."

Hisame raised her head and looked upwards to the sky and saw nothing but clouds and tree branches. Even if there had been stars that night, the look the same every night in her opinion. What was so great about them anyway? They were just gas powered pinpricks that would soon die.

"Maybe you could make a clay…" began Hisame. However she was cut off as a cloud of smoke shot across the floor of the forest. "What the hell was that?!"

"Let's check it out," said Michi. Hisame nodded and the two of them ran in the direction that it had come from. It took them only a few seconds to find the source in what was once an empty clearing. The two girl's jaws dropped as a giant salamander the size of a two story building occupied most of the area. Well, their jaws also dropped because situated on its back was a flashing red neon sign that said 'Motel' and next to the creature's head was a flashing green sign that said 'Vacancy'.

"I don't believe this," said Hisame.

"I wasn't expecting this," said Michi.

"I know," agreed Hisame. "Just look at how much a room costs at that place. It's a steal!" Michi face faulted at that comment. But, in Hisame's defense, she was right. The price per room equaled ten dollars in American money (if America existed in this world). Just at that moment, Naruto walked back into the clearing from the woods.

"Ah, can I help you?" Naruto asked. Both girls jumped back and looked at him. As Naruto crossed his arms as he waited for them to say something Michi began to sweat a bit. Their cover had been blown. They had been spotted. And they didn't know where the blondes other two teammates where. For all she knew, this could be a trap of some kind.

"Can we please have a room?" asked Hisame. Michi twitched and then looked over at Hisame. The shark girl was giving him the teary eyed, puppy dog pout. Hisame then raced over to Naruto and began to hug his leg. "Please, please, please, PLEASE! I can't stand sleeping under the stars. My partner won't make a house for us or even a cottage. The two of us have been traveling alone by ourselves and we just need a place to spend the night."

Michi slapped her face. Who would be stupid enough to fall fore something like that?

"I'll help you out," said a teary eyed Naruto, causing Michi to face fault. Hisame then let go of Naruto's leg and the two of them walked over to the salamander and soon Michi followed after them.

The inside the salamander was…interesting. The walls of flesh were moist and colored light pink. Almost all of the furniture was made from flesh and seemed to be a part of the creature. The only exception was the beds that were located on the second floor. The doors were also odd. Muscles opened and closed certain parts on the creatures flesh to allow access to private rooms. After Hisame had paid Naruto for the room, he went off to give it to his summoned salamander and let the two girls do some exploring and pick out which room they would like.

"This is so cool," said Hisame with stars in her eyes. Michi grabbed Hisame by her shoulders and stared into the shark girls eyes.

"We are inside a summoned creature," said Michi. "No telling what kind of freak its summoner is. For all we know, he could be some sicko who will try to cut out our organs while we sleep."

"Well," said Hisame. "as long as he's not expecting a date or anything like that." Michi gave Hisame a deadpanned look.

"Your mother dropped you too many times on the head, didn't she?" asked Michi. Hisame shrugged.

"Ah," said a voice behind the two girls causing their eyes to go wide. They slowly turned around and saw that Naruto had been standing several feet behind them.

"How long have you been standing there?!" asked/demanded Michi.

"Long enough," replied Naruto. "You don't have to worry; before I ran into the two of you I had summoned some sensor salamanders. They'll alert me to anyone coming into the area. Also, this salamander won't open its mouth to anyone other than me or is willing to pay. Even if someone did get in, the doors here lock so you don't have to worry about any 'sickos' getting in."

"Is that right?" asked Michi as she laughed nervously and sweat dropped.

"I have a question," said Hisame as she raised her hand as if she were in a classroom. "Actually, I have two. One, how do the doors lock? Also, are you going to eat that muffin?"

"All you have to get is say 'lock' to lock the door," said Naruto. "The muscles that move the opening to your door will then freeze and keep the door closed. To unlock it, just say 'unlock'. As for your second question, are you referring to the one glowing in my pouch?"

It was true; anyone could see the glow coming from Naruto's weapon pouch where he had placed the muffin. The glow also gave away the shape of a muffin. Hisame vigorously nodded her head. With a sigh, Naruto took out the muffin and tossed it over to the crazy shark girl. As soon as it was close enough, Hisame jumped up and caught it in her mouth and began to eat it.

"Will she be ok?" asked Michi as she took a few steps backwards.

"Depends how strong her stomach is," replied Naruto.

-x-

Dawn was about an hour away. The forest was covered with dew and the forest floor had a light mist. The nocturnal creatures were returning to their homes while other animals were waking up. But some of the most dangerous creatures were already wide awake. In fact, several of them were looking at the giant salamander through a scope. The most menacing at the moment was the team from Iwa. They had been tracking him since the exam started and they had finally come to the end of the trail. They could only assume that Naruto was inside the creature.

"Are you sure he's in there?" asked Bakken.

"Of course I'm sure," said Risho. "Now let's do this like I planned." Bakken and Gama nodded.

Gama went out first. He jumped from tree to tree as he made a dash for the summoned creature. Along the way, he passed by a salamander with six red spots on its back that was clinging on a tree. A dim light was coming out of the spots and once Gama passed through the lights path he vanished in a cloud of smoke. However, he didn't return back to where he had originally come from but appeared in Naruto's room.

"Naruto-sama," said the salamander. "Someone is heading for you." Naruto said nothing as he lay in bed. With a sigh, the salamander hit Naruto in the head with its tail.

"Wha-," said Naruto as he slowly woke up. He looked over at the salamander next to him. "Is it morning?"

"Well, yes it is," said the salamander to the boy who was only half awake. "But that's not what…"

"Good," interrupted Naruto as he made a seal. "Time to start looking for the rest of my team."

Outside, Gama was right in front of the giant salamander. Now he had to figure out a way to get Naruto out of the creature. Before he could think of anything, the salamander was engulfed in a cloud of white smoke and vanished leaving Naruto and two girls. One of the girls looked half dead while the other suddenly woke up as she realized that she was no longer inside the motel salamander.

"I asked for a wake up call but I didn't expect it to be like this," said Michi as she got up. Hisame only moaned in her sleep. Michi looked at her with a bit of disgust. "That's what you get when you eat strange things." Michi then picked Hisame up and put her on her shoulder and the two of them left the clearing.

"Not even a goodbye," said Naruto as he rubbed his eyes while yawning. Then Risho jumped next to Gama and caused Naruto to get an adrenaline rush.

"Well, well," said Risho with a cocky attitude. "So you came out for us. This will make things much easier."

"If you are looking for a scroll," said Naruto as he narrowed his eyes, "I don't have one."

"Who said we wanted a scroll," said Risho. "We were sent here to kill you so Iwa can have its revenge!"

"Wh-What did I do?!" asked Naruto. "I've never even met an Iwa-nin." Gama chuckled.

"You mean you don't know," said Gama as he took out some paint brushes. "To bad you will die never knowing the truth then." Slowly he began to apply make-up to his body. "You should blame your village for never telling you the truth about your origins."

"It doesn't matter," said Risho. "Even if you knew, we would still try to kill you. But it is a bit sad that you don't know. Oh well." He then began to make several hand signs and when he was finished four pillars of earth shot out of ground. Naruto took a step back as the pillars began to circle him. "In cause you're wondering, you're not the only person who is a master of his element. Let me show you why I'm an earth master. **Shura Nendo Toi!**" As soon as he called out his jutsu, the earth covered him and took form. Soon Risho had a helmet, arm and leg guards, and a breastplate.

"Hehe, you should have stayed inside your lizard," said Gama as his make-up began to increase his strength.

"I summon salamanders, baka, not lizards," said Naruto as he got into a stance. "And if you think that a make-up wearing freak and a dirt covered teme can beat me, then you are sadly mistaken."

"I think you have forgotten something," said Risho as his eyes moved to look at the sideline of the forest. "Teams here are made of three people."

Bakken then jumped down from the tree where they had been hiding in and landed on the ground. He then began to prepare for his special jutsu. He began to tighten up his muscles and slowly began to sweat. After a minute or so his entire body was covered in sweat and then he yelled, "**Hakuen no Kiri!**" From Bakken's body shot a white mist that blocked all vision. But that wasn't all it did. There was also a powerful odor that smelled like a smelly gym filled the area as well. It was so bad that Naruto had to cover his nose.

The next thing that Naruto knew was something like a whirlwind shooting towards where he was standing. Acting quickly, Naruto shot up into the air. However, he had done exactly what his opponents had wanted him to do. The next thing he knew was being punched in the face. As he feel backwards someone else was punched him much, much harder in the gut and Naruto crashed into the ground hard. Slowly, Naruto crawled up onto his feet but he was knocked down once again by something that felt like a giant burning rock. After that hit him, Naruto was thrown rolling on the ground for several yards.

"For some reason I thought he would be better," said Bakken with a light chuckle.

"I'm not dead yet," said Naruto as he got on his feet.

"We can fix that," said Risho. "As long as we stick to my tactics we can win any battle. I bet you have already figured out that we three can see within it while you can't see you hand in front of your face!"

"I don't think so," said Naruto. "I bet that first guy who punched me made that mist and I can see why he would have a jutsu like that. His punch was so weak that I barely felt anything."

"What?!" yelled Bakken. "I hit you so hard you should have a concussion!" Naruto just laughed.

"Ya right," said Naruto with a grin. "Compared to the beatings that I have gotten my whole life that was just a love tap. And too bad for you I don't swing that way. Even this mist is weak. And I bet that second hit came from make-up boy. I'm only guessing, but I think that his strength comes from his make-up. If I'm right that means that in reality he's a weakling. And that last attack, well he's hardly a master of anything."

"Why you little…" yelled all three of the Iwa-nins at the same time. Then, all at once, the three of them ran towards Naruto and prepared to use the same attack again. That was there mistake as Naruto began to make hand signs. When he was finished, Naruto turned in Bakken's direction and yelled, "**Fūton: Daitoppa!**" sending a powerful wave of air in his direction. Bakken, who was caught off guard, was thrown several dozen yards backwards and his mist was dispelled. The next thing that Bakken knew was Naruto hovering over him with a smirk.

"How?" asked Bakken. Naruto's smirk became even wider.

"You may have cut off my sense of sight and smell," said Naruto, "but I could still hear you all. I was taunting you all so that I could figure out where you all were. And now…" Naruto brought back his fist and then slammed it into Bakken's chest so hard that he could hear ribs breaking. "…Let's finish this!"

"Go to hell!" yelled Gama as he ran towards Naruto with his paint brushes raised. "I'll take away everything you have!" Gama closed in on Naruto and raised his paint brushes to seal away Naruto's movement and chakra, but Naruto was faster. In the blink of an eye Naruto moved behind Gama and kicked him in the ass while flying.

"Get up Gama!" yelled Risho. "We started out three against one and now it's two against one. We should be able to take him easily!"

"Don't worry," said Gama as he got up. "My powers will take away his ability to fly." Gama turned around and got the shock of his life. While he and Risho had been talking, Naruto had taken out his Raijin and was now flying at Gama with his sword of lightning poised and ready to strike. Gama tried to dodge, but it was too late and Naruto was flying at him to quickly. Risho watched as the Raijin sliced right through Gama and began to electrocute him from the inside out.

"Worthless grunts," said Risho as he watched Gama fall to the ground. "Looks like I'll have to kill you myself!"

"I don't believe you," said Naruto as he put away the Raijin. "After seeing me take down two of your teammates, you still think you can win. Don't you even care that they might be dead?"

"Why should I?" demanded Risho. "Should I be all teary eyed and call out their names after they lost so pathetically? I would never waste a single tear on them. They were just pawns so I can get what I want: fame! Once I kill you, I will go down in history."

"If that's the way your village thinks then it is no wonder they lost the war," said Naruto as he began to spin his arm around.

"Shut up Uzumaki!" yelled Risho as he made some hand signs. "You don't know anything! **Shura Nendo Toi!**" Earth began to cover Risho again and added more earth to his armor. It looked the same, only now there were spikes on it. Risho then charged to tackle Naruto like a bolder, but Naruto was now running towards him with his own attack.

"Let me show you what it means to be a master of your element," said Naruto. "**Sempuken!**" With that, Naruto punched Risho in the chest with his attack. What followed was a large explosion and pieces of Risho flying high into the sky. Slowly, the cloud of dirt began to calm down and Naruto stood in front of a small crater. "You weren't even worth it."

While Naruto's back was turned, Bakken was slowly limping towards Naruto with a sharp rock in his hand. Once Bakken was close enough, he began to raise it above his head so he could kill Naruto. But, before it got half way up, Bakken was sliced into a dozen or so pieces in a zigzag pattern. Naruto turned around just in time to see the pieces fall to the earth.

At first, Naruto jumped backwards in shock. He knew he didn't do this. Then he looked down at the pile of flesh and saw wire that had charka infused into in and around the flesh of Bakken. Naruto moved to touch it when it suddenly flew back into the tree line. Naruto turned his head to look in its direction and that's when he heard it.

Clapping.

Then, slowly, a figure came out of the woods while clapping his hands.

"That was a nice show," said Sechs as he stopped clapping. "Now that your warm-up is over, how about a real challenge?"

-x-

Damn this took so long. For a while I was sick and couldn't go near the computer because I was afraid I'd through up on it. Then I got stuck for a while. Well, next time will be Sechs vs. Naruto and Anko vs. the Oto-nins.


	16. Chapter 16

Well, I have to say that I'm disappointed in how Smallville started this season. I mean, after all the fuss they made last season about a device that could control Clark and it turns out to be the off switch to his powers. What a letdown! I was hoping that it would be something like summoning someone who could stop Clark like Green Lantern. At least Lana is gone so Clark can get things into focus.

Naruto was good. Naruto has read Jiraiya's book and is getting closer to finishing his training with nature chakra. Sasuke is proving that all he cares about is revenge, no matter who it is. And the Raikage is going to be putting his foot down on Sasuke. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Let's rock!

-x-

In the village, the sun was just starting to rise. Most of its inhabitants were still asleep. Those who were up were training, opening up their shops, or were on the night guard. Yet, there was one person who was none of these.

Hyuuga Hanabi was up and silently crossing the Hyuuga compound as she made her way to the clan library. Ever since she saw that Hinata person, Hanabi had been unable to get her out of her head. She had double checked the clan listings and found that there were none in the main house that were close to her age or even looked like her. Then Hanabi began to look through old pictures and letters she could find to see if there were any clues. The only thing she was able to find out was that many pictures of her mother were missing.

Hanabi stopped in front of the wooden doors of what looked like an old root cellar. She opened them and made her way down a flight of stairs until she came to a steel door. She opened it and then entered the second level of the clan library. The library was a two level structure that was underground and out of sight to protect its secrets. The second floor was basically a catwalk along the wall with books and scrolls on the shelves. These books ranged from history to Icha Icha Paradise.

But Hanabi's destination was on the first floor. The first floor held topics like jutsus, family records, and a special section for main branch members only. Also, in the middle, were tables where a person could sit and read for awhile. Clan law forbids anyone, even the clan head, from tampering with anything on that level. It was even forbidden to take anything off of that level. This made it the perfect place to look for information.

Hanabi made her way down the next set of stairs as quietly as she could. However, as soon as she came to the ground floor, she was spotted by the librarian. He was an old branch member with a long beard and a slightly hunched back. If Hanabi remembered correctly, he was her great uncle.

"Ah, Hanabi-sama," he said with kind smile. "How nice to see you."

"You're up early," said Hanabi as she cursed her luck. This was supposed to be a secret.

"The love of knowledge knows no opening and closing hours," said her great uncle. "Now, how can I help you?" Hanabi thought about it for a moment. What the hell, she thought after a minute. He was here and he might be able to help her find what she needed faster.

"I need to find someone," said Hanabi.

"Then unless you were looking for me you will find no one," he replied.

"No," replied Hanabi. "I mean, I need information on a Hyuuga girl. She doesn't have the seal on her forehead so she must be from the main house. Yet, I have only seen her once and that was on the street. Somehow she seems so…familiar. I guess it's because she looks like my kaa-san." At this, the old librarian's eyes widened.

"Her name won't be Hinata, would it?" he asked.

"Yes," said Hanabi quickly. Now her heart was racing. She could now get the answers that she wanted, no, needed to know for reasons beyond her. But the sad smile on her great uncles face put a halt to all of that.

"I'm afraid that I cannot help you," he replied. "That information was made forbidden by your father."

"Why?" demanded Hanabi. "What did she do wrong?"

"To Hiashi-sama," said the old man, "it was that she was simply alive." Hanabi couldn't believe this. Did her father hate this Hinata person so much that he everything in his power to erase her from the clan's history?

"Is there anything you can tell me?" she asked. The old man stroked his bread for a bit while humming before he answered.

"Well now," he said. "All the 'official' records are forbidden. Yet, I could tell you some unofficial things." At that, Hanabi's heart began to race again. Anything would be helpful. "Let me see. Ah, I got one. Hinata used to come down here all the time."

"What did she do?" asked Hanabi quickly. "Did she take something out of the library? Did she look at something she wasn't supposed to?" Her uncle laughed.

"No, no," he said. "She was always well behaved. She sometimes used the books down here to press flowers, but not that many people minded."

"Oh," said Hanabi.

"Hinata was a very kind and considerate person," said her uncle. "Her mother loved her from the bottom of her heart. I know that if she were still alive today, she would be heartbroken. But, I am a little glad she was able to get away." Hanabi gave him a confused look. "Hiashi-sama would have damaged her had she stayed. She was so eager to please everyone and make sure everyone around her was happy, you see. But the only things she got from Hiashi-sama were harmful words and looks full of disgust. I bet it tore her up inside. That is all I can tell you."

"I see," said Hanabi as she got up. She slowly made her way out of the library. She was a bit disappointed with the information that she got. She had been hoping for more useful information. So far she sounded like a saint or something like that. Yet, now that she thought about it, she might have gotten some useful information. Hinata had been around her father a lot before she left. Maybe Neji might know something. Or maybe there were other records of her elsewhere. Now that she thought about that, she might have been a recent graduate from the academy.

"You know," said the librarian after he heard Hanabi leave. "Your sister would have said goodbye."

-x-

In Ame no Kuni, they have a way of dealing with orphans. Those who live on the streets are the lucky ones. They live by eating out of trash cans and begging for food. The sleep in the sewers and rat infested dumpsters. And despite these things, they are the lucky ones. This is because they have a greater chance at living past the age of six.

There are no orphanages or foster homes in Ame. Instead, there are places called 'Living Toy Shops'. There, children are sold cheaply for whatever the customer wants. Few buy these children to raise as part of the family. The people who go to places like these have other uses for children; sweetshops, test subjects, and even for the whims of people like Orochimaru.

The children stay at places like this until the age of six. At the end of every year, all the children who are six years old are sold to the army. A high ranking general comes to pick them up. They are not to be integrated into the army, but to be used in war games. Things like targets or to check for land mines.

Perhaps now you know why the land is always crying.

The children are told about their future from a young age. In fact, they are first told this on the day they are given their number. They don't get names, just numbers in different languages. When asked why they don't have real names, they are told that they won't be around long enough to need real ones. They are simply products in the eyes on the adults.

It was from people like them that Sechs got his name. This was the world he was born into. Had it not been for Hanzo, he would have been killed by now. But he lives on, fighting! Why does he 

fight? How was he saved for a grim fate? That, I'm sorry to say, is a story for a different day. But now you know a little more about Sechs, Elf, and Zwölf.

-x-

"That was a good fight," said Sechs as he slowly stopped clapping. "Too bad they were arrogant fools. Had they been smarter they might have lasted longer."

"What are you doing here?" demanded Naruto.

"I think that would be obvious," replied Sechs as he reached behind his back to grab the folded weapon that was attached to it. As he pulled it out it straitened itself out so it looked like some kind of staff weapon. At the ends of it were blades with one side sharp and the other looking like a saw. Sechs held his weapon out in front of him so Naruto could see it. "Like it? It's called the Titan Blade! I had this custom made so it's no ordinary weapon. It's made of a special metal that never rusts, is non magnetic, and won't conduct electricity. I can't wait to see how it fairs against your Raijin!"

"Let me guess," said Naruto with an annoyed look on his face. "You are going to kill me for some reason that I'm sure someone else did."

"Hell no!" said Sechs causing Naruto's eyes to widen. "That's not my style. If I have a grudge against a person then it's with that person and no one else! And if they die before I get my chance than that's life and I get over it." Sechs then pointed his Titan Blade at Naruto. "Hanzo-sama has taken a great deal of interest in you and I don't like it. He let you sign his contract and gave you a title! Now I'm going to prove that you, an outsider, don't deserve that honor!"

"Don't you think that you're getting mad at the wrong person?!" asked/yelled Naruto.

"No I don't!" yelled Sechs as he ran towards Naruto. As he did he began to spin the Titan Blade so fast it was like a blur. Once Sechs was in striking range, Sechs began to shift the blade from his right side, to his left side, and then back again. Naruto was forced to move backwards quickly to avoid the attack, not knowing what was behind him.

After a short while, the back of Naruto's foot hit the side of a half buried rock which caused him to lose his footing. At this, Sechs grinned. Using the momentum that he had been building Sechs crouched down and then made a sweeping motion aimed at Naruto's legs. However, Naruto was able to shoot up and avoid the sweep. Then Naruto a kick right on the side of Sechs's head. Sadly though Sechs saw the attack coming and blocked the kick with his forearm. Swearing under his breath, Naruto backed away from Sechs for distance.

"That's impressive," said Sechs as he got up. He watched as Naruto floated about a foot off the ground with his arms crossed. "I can at least see why you are called the Kaze-shu. That kekkei genkai of yours is truly amazing."

"This isn't a kekkei genkai," said Naruto. Then a thoughtful look appeared on his face. "At least, I don't think it is. I really don't know that much about my family so I can't say for sure. All I really know is that I always had a talent for the wind. What you are seeing here is me wrapping the wind around my body to fly. Believe me; it has gone a long way since I first started. Back then I would have to use a hand sign just to change direction."

"Are you an orphan?" asked Sechs. Naruto nodded. "I see then. We share that in common. And here I thought you were the prized member of some big fancy clan."

"Nope," said Naruto. "But, even if I did belong to a big clan, I would still do things my way even if they don't make sense to other people. Better to be messy on your own than to be messy under some old guy, right?"

"Yeah!" said Sechs. "Why give someone else credit for your hard work?" _This is it_, thought Sechs as he grinned at Naruto. _I'm fighting a worthy opponent that is making my heart race. Back home, every Genin I have fought used cheap tricks to try and win. Now I am fighting someone who understands that the only true way to handle a problem is to attack it head on! I'll fight him and win! Then Hanzo-sama will notice me as the best._ With that thought, Sechs crouched down again while he positioned his Titan Blade behind him. "Let me show you an attack I created by myself. I call it **Sechster Angriff!**" With the attack called out, Sechs leapt towards Naruto. As he went through the air, Sechs began to twist his body around while the Titan Blade seemed to move around his body. Sechs would do a summersault and the blade would travels from behind him, between his legs, and then across his body. Then Sechs would do a kick spin and the blade would spin around an arm or a leg.

Not knowing how to counter this attack, Naruto just lifted himself in the air to just miss Sechs trying to slash his chest. Naruto then let himself on one of the blades as Sechs kept his attack going. The blond had planned of kicking him, but Sechs repositioned his body above the blade and used to deliver a spinning kick aimed at Naruto's legs that connected. Naruto was then knocked of the Titan Blade and onto the ground on his back.

Naruto groaned due to the dull pain he felt on his back and legs. Then as he stared at the sky Sechs appeared above him with the Titan Blade ready to pierce Naruto's chest. Running through the hand signs Naruto yelled, "**Fūton: Daitoppa!**" Suddenly, a great wind hit Sechs and sent him flying into a tree so hard that it left an imprint. Naruto didn't know how high Sechs was, but if he had to guess it was pretty damn high.

Naruto then slowly got back onto his feet when he noticed something. It was a leaf that must have been knocked off a tree due to Sechs's impact. Then, without warning, the leaf split in half. Squinting his eyes at where it had happened, Naruto was able to make out a thin thread of chakra. Looking around, Naruto saw that he was now surrounded by these threads. Then Elf and Zwölf came into view. The chakra thread seemed to be coming out of their fingers.

"We got him Sechs-kun, we got him!" yelled Zwölf as she jumped up and down. Sechs said nothing. He stepped out of the imprint and onto the base of the tree. He then leapt off of the tree and landed on his legs and free arm as he hadn't let go of the Titan Blade. He looked Zwölf and then at Elf before a look of anger appeared on his face.

"Baka," he snarled. "This is _my_ fight! How dare you interfere in it?! And I always thought that you two always avoided a fight!"

"True," said Elf. "That's because we're not as blood thirsty as you are. But when we are guaranteed a win we'll make an exception."

"Sechs-kun, now you can kill him while he's contained," said Zwölf.

"I don't like it," growled Sechs.

"Go on and try," said Naruto, getting everyone's attention. Then a smile appeared on his face. "That is…if you really think that I'm 'contained'.

Sechs stared at Naruto. _What could he be thinking? There's no way he can get out of the web those two twits wove. Is he trying to bluff me or something?_ Sechs then grinned evilly as something inside him told him that the fun was just starting.

-x-

In another part of the forest, Anko had made camp inside the base of a hollow tree. Sasuke was still asleep, but every now and then he would start screaming. This made Anko very nervous. His screaming could alert others to their location and she didn't need the extra stress. She was still worried about Naruto, who was still missing. Not to mention they had no scrolls so the odds were higher that they were going to be failing this exam. Also, she hadn't slept all night and was hungry. So she was a bit irritated. O.K., she was ticking time bomb that would go off at any time.

Then, suddenly, three Oto-nines appeared in the clearing in front of the tree. There was a teen that looked like he was covered in bandages from head to toe and wearing a shirt with extra long sleeves. There was also a cocky looking boy and a girl with long dark hair, but neither of them stood out like the mummy want to be. They stood there for a moment and seemed to be waiting for a trap or something.

"Mitarashi Anko," said the mummy teen after a moment. "We know you are there so there is no point in hiding. We are here to talk, not to fight. It is about an offer which we are sure you will want to hear. I urge you to consider." Anko closed her eyes and considered her options. Right now she was still tired from yesterday due to her not having slept or eaten since yesterday. Add to the fact that she was outnumbered three to one. Maybe if she had been able to get something to eat or had even taken a nap she would have stood a much better chance. All she could do now was to try and stall them and hope that Sasuke woke up in time to give her a hand. At the very 

least she might be able to get some information out of them. With that in mind, she opened her eyes and walked out of her hiding place.

"Alright I'm here," said Anko once she stood before them.

"My name is Kinuta Dosu," said Dosu. He then indicated to his teammates. "This is Abumi Zaku and Tsuchi Kin. We work for…"

"I know you work for Orochimaru-ojiisan," said Anko. "Just get to the point."

"Why you little…" began Zaku. However Dosu raised a hand to silence his hot headed teammate.

"I just thought that we should conduct this as…professionally as possible," said Dosu as he gave Anko a once over with his single visible eye. "It seems I was mistaken."

"Very," said Anko.

"Then let us get to the point," said Dosu. "Anko-san, you have been invited by your grandfather to join us." At that, Anko's eyes widened. "You seem surprised. Our master was impressed with your skills and contacted us to give you this invitation. He said that while you remain here you will never reach your full potential. Also, he wants to get to know the last member of his family better. So, what do you say?"

"I'll do it," said Anko, "when hell freezes over!"

"It is a great honor to be chosen by Orochimaru-sama himself you bitch," said Kin. "How dare you…"

"Shut up Kin," snarled Dosu. Kin looked hesitant but did as she was told. Then, Dosu turned his attention back on Anko. "Perhaps you need more time. Just think about it. To be trained by a member of the Sannin and a fellow snake summoner. To be taught jutsus that this weak little village could never dream of. To be given a power that is unlike any other in this world. He would even be willing to allow you to take with you your friends if you so desired."

"Again, no," said Anko.

"What about the blond," said Dosu, causing Anko's eyes to widen. "Orochimaru did a bit of research into you and found that you are rather close to Uzumaki Naruto. If fact, he believes that you are in love with him."

"Shut it," growled Anko as she clenched her fists.

"However, you aren't the only one who has feelings for him," continued Dosu. "There's that loser of a Hyuuga who hangs around him as well. It must be hard trying to get some alone time 

when he is friends with your romantic rival. If you join with us, you could take Uzumaki-san with you and keep him all to yourself. Not a bad idea, right?"

"I will admit that it is tempting," said Anko. "I hate it that she's always around. I hate that she has feelings for the same guy as me. And I hate how Naruto-kun doesn't seem to notice. If I took up this offer, then I could finally have him all to myself. But I would only have his body, not his heart. And I'm going to win it on my own!" She then glared at Dosu. "So if you think that you can use my feelings to get me to join up with the teme who betrayed him family and village then you are dead wrong."

"Very well then," said Dosu with a sigh. "We were told it was a long shot anyways. However, if you were to say no, we were ordered to kill Uchiha Sasuke. Now, will you move out of the way? It is the will of our master is that you be given a chance to leave this place alive."

"Again, no," said Anko. "I need that asshole in order to pass this part of the exam. You kill him and I fail! Also, he's my comrade or something to that effect." At that, the Oto-nins sweat dropped.

"Very well then," said Dosu as a kunai appeared in his hand. In a quick motion he sung his weapon at Anko's throat. Cold steel hit warm flesh and then…poof. Anko vanished in a cloud of smoke and was replaced with a small purple snake.

Before the three knew it, Anko was above them with her sword ready for action. She swung it with as much strength as she could at Dosu's head. Sadly, the three Genins sensed the attack coming and moved out of the way in time. Anko landed with a thud. She was breathing hard and was tired. What was worse was that her enemies knew it.

Dosu came after her and swung his fist at her. She stepped back to avoid the hit, however shortly after she did her world became fuzzy. Moments later she fell on her hands and knees and began to chough up blood. The next thing she knew was a stinging sensation on her back. She turned around and saw several senbon needles sticking in her back. She turned her head back around and was going to try to stand up, but Zaku grabbed her head and began to lift it up.

"You really shouldn't have insulted Orochimaru-sama," he said. "Now let's see how you look without a head."

-x-

Sechster Angriff: Sixth Attack

Sorry this is a bit short. I had more written but I lost the whole thing due to a computer problem. Plus I have homework and stuff to due. Oh well. How will the fight between Sechs and Naruto 

turn out? Will Naruto be able to survive? Will he be able to save Anko? Will I ever get tired of these cliffhangers? Why am I asking you these questions?

Also, should Kin live?


	17. Chapter 17

Well, here I am. Hope you are all ready for this exciting chapter. I know I am.

The last couple of chapters in Naruto were amazing. Pein is showing us what his other bodies can really do and we are coming closer to his secret. Killerbee is alive and I couldn't be happier about that. Personally, I thought that was a lame way for him to be defeated and it turns out he wasn't. And Naruto has completed his Sage training. Maybe soon we'll see that jutsu that he was working on.

Let's rock!

-x-

Michi and Hisame had just landed on a branch near the clearing when the fighting had started. Now, they had never intended on reaching this point. After the salamander hotel had vanished, Michi had dragged her sick (in more ways than one) teammate out of that clearing and headed off randomly. Now, after several minutes of running non-stop at speeds no normal genin could possible travel at, they were above the fight between Anko and the Oto-nins. In Michi's opinion, it wasn't much of a fight, three to one.

"Looks like this is going to be over soon," said Michi as she glanced at her partner. Hisame looked a bit more green than blue at the moment. And that couldn't be a good thing. "I hope you learned your lesson."

"I guess," said Hisame weakly. "But in my defense, it tasted pretty good. It just made me sick as hell after (groan) words."

Michi said nothing to that. She sighed and then turned her head back in the direction of the fight below them. The Oto-nin holding the purple haired girl's head gave it a squeeze causing said girl to cry out in pain. Michi clenched her fists as she watched. There was nothing she hated more than a guy bullying a girl. And as much as she wanted to get involved, she knew that they couldn't risk it. They had a mission to fulfill.

"Time to die bitch," said Zaku as he prepared to blow off Anko's head. But, just as he was about to do that a green blur entered the clearing while yelling, "**Konoha Daisenpū!**" The next thing the three Oto-nins knew was that they were kicked in the chest with enough power to send them several yards away from Anko. When they got back up, they saw their opponent and sweat dropped. It was Rock Lee standing in his fighting stance.

Anko looked up and let out a low groan. It wasn't that she was ungrateful or anything. It was just that…it was Lee. 'Damn it,' she thought. 'Why couldn't it be Naruto-kun? Then again, it would be embarrassing as hell if he saw me like this. Lee's probably going to be going on about youth and talking loud and shit. At least it wasn't Sasuke, that teme could most likely insult be and say I was just a weak girl. Kiba would blab this out to everyone along with Ino. Maybe this isn't so bad.'

Back in the tree, Michi was getting creeped out. As soon as the green clad wonder entered the clearing, Hisame began to…change. First, her skin regained its usual blue color. Then her eyes took the shape of beating hearts. As she stared at Lee, a small trickle of drool appeared from her mouth.

"Oh Kami," said the rejuvenated Hisame. "That hair, those eyebrows, that spandex. He's perfect!"

"I think I'm going to be sick," deadpanned Michi.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Dosu. "She isn't your teammate. Why help her?"

"Because," said Lee loudly. "She is a shinobi of this village and a comrade! It would be unyouthful for me to allow you to kill her for not selling out her teammate to save herself!"

'Here comes the headache,' thought Anko as she lay on the ground.

"Kawaii!" squealed Hisame. "I even love the way he talks."

"Please…seek help," groaned Michi. However, Hisame couldn't hear her teammate as she was already making wedding plans in her head.

Back in the clearing, Dosu charged at Lee. The Oto-nin didn't like having to deal with all these distractions. If Orochimaru hadn't ordered them to talk to Anko first they never would have. They might have even completed their mission by now. Dosu had, of course, wondered why Orochimaru had asked them to do it in the first place. Perhaps he had a soft spot in his heart for the girl since they were family. Or maybe he was just curious to see what her choice would be. Whatever the reason, now he had to deal with these Konoha flies.

Lee stood his ground as the Dosu headed for him. Then, Dosu pulled back his right arm, revealing some kind of metal guard attached to it. Lee acted quickly and reached into the ground and pulled up a large root to block the attack. Dosu's fist hit the root and caused no other damage.

"I saw your attack when you used it on Anko-san!" said Lee. "While you didn't hit her with your attack, you were somehow able to cause damage. There is more going on than just a punch!"

"Maybe," said Dosu with a cocky tone. "But what can you do about it?" Lee said nothing as he began to unwrap the bandages on his arms. He knew that he shouldn't use this jutsu, but he had to finish this fight quickly. That was the best way to deal with an opponent who used attacks that you couldn't understand. He knew the risks and was willing to take them to help out a comrade, just like Gai would do.

Dosu stared at the green genin as he lowered his arms. He was about to move to attack again when Lee vanished and reappeared below him to deliver a kick to his lower jaw that sent him flying into the air. Lee then used his arm to launch himself into the air and get behind Dosu.

"This is what I can do," said Lee as his bandages began to wrap around Dosu. "With this, you will not be able to swing your arm! **Omote Renge!**" With that, the two of them began to spin headfirst towards the ground.

"Shit," swore Zaku as he slammed his palms into the ground. Acting quickly, he sent a blast of air in the direction of the spot where his teammate and the crazy, loud genin were going to land. The ground seemed to puff up right before Dosu landed in it and Lee broke away. For a moment, Dosu just lay there. Then, without warning, Dosu pulled his head out of the dirt.

"Thank you Zaku," he said. "If you hadn't softened the ground I would have been killed." He then pulled back the sleeve on his right arm and stared at Lee. The green wearing teen was barely able to stand due to his last attack and what was worse was that anybody with working eyes could see it. Dosu charged at Lee and swung his right arm in front of Lee. For a second, nothing happened. Then the world became blurry as Lee fell to his knees.

"What?" asked Lee as he reached for his left ear.

"He he," laughed Dosu as he pulled out his gantlet. "What you are experiencing is the effects of my **Kyōmeisen**. I use my Melody Arm here to generate sound wave that I can then redirect and amplify with my chakra. Now that you know that, you can die with the knowledge of the jutsu that killed you." Dosu pulled back his arm again and prepared to swing. Then…

"Like hell you'll kill him!" screamed an angry female voice. Everyone looked up into the trees and saw Hisame standing on her feet, pointing a sword at Dosu. "I finally found my perfect guy and there is no way I'm going to let you kill him!" Dosu blinked in confusion. He looked at Hisame and then at lee and then back at Hisame.

"You have weird tastes," he said. This caused Hisame to grind her sharp, pointy teeth. She then raised both of her swords and yelled, "**Raikyuu!**" The ball of lightning shot downward toward Dosu who jumped away in time. When he landed, Hisame was standing in his spot.

"I know your weakness," she said with a smile. "You have to be close to your opponent in order for the effects of your attack to work. This means you are at a disadvantage against long range fighters. And I just so happen to be both close and long range."

"Maybe," said Zaku. "But you are a lightning user and I'm a wind user." Zaku then brought his arms up and a moment later a gust of wind came out of the holes in his palms. "My element beats yours and I'm able to fight long range as well. You might want to consider your last words." Hisame grinned evilly.

"Are you afraid of spiders?" she asked. Zaku raised an eyebrow at that. What did she mean by that? He then looked down and saw a small spider made of clay on his right arm.

"Don't you know," said a voice from behind them, "that art is a blast?" The clay spider then exploded causing Zaku to scream in pain. His right arm fell to his side with blood dripping to the ground. Both he and Kin looked behind them and saw Michi standing behind them with clay birds circling around her head.

"Shit," cursed Dosu. Before he could say anymore, he sensed a powerful chakra spike from the tree. In fact, everyone did. They all turned their heads and saw Sasuke stand up while purple chakra began to surround his body. In addition to that, black marks appeared on his skin.

Sasuke vanished and then reappeared behind Kin who had readied some senbon needles. He launched a punch to her right side and then a blow to the back of her head. Then he vanished again and appeared next to Zaku and then grabbed his left arm.

"I bet you're proud of these arms," Sasuke said coldly. He then tightened his grip and continued to do so until he heard a snap. Zaku screamed in pain until Sasuke kicked him in the gut, causing him to pass out. Slowly, Sasuke eyed those who were still standing and those who were hiding. He looked up and saw Neji and Tenten, who were watching to see what would happen next. He then glanced at the spot where Team 10 was hiding. Then he saw Hisame begin to spin her swords above her head and he grinned. There was someone who was willing to fight him. He charged at the shark girl as a disk of lightning appeared above her head. It then began to cover her body as she yelled, "**Raigeki no Yoroi!**" Sasuke's fist hit her and he was then given a powerful shock causing him to scream before he passed out. As he lay on the ground, the cursed marks began to recede until he was normal again.

"Sasuke-kun!" yelled Ino as she jumped out of her hiding place. She then pointed an accusing finger at Hisame. "How dare you hurt Sasuke-kun, you freaky shark girl!" Hisame sighed.

"He attacked me and I defended myself," she said. She then turned around and saw Neji and Tenten picking up Lee. "So," she said seductively, "do I get a reward for saving your life?"

"Well I, uh, guess," said Lee nervously. But before he could saw anything else, Hisame appeared in front of him and locked lips. Everyone just stared in shock except of one person.

"Hello, I'm still here," said Dosu. But nobody seemed to be paying attention to him. "Fine, I'll just leave this Earth Scroll here and be on my way." With that, he set down the Earth Scroll, picked up his allies, and left.

"Let's go," said Neji as he snapped out of it. Tenten nodded and the two of them left dragging along a shocked Lee.

"No fair," cried Hisame as she stomped her foot. "I wanted to do more!"

"Like what?" demanded Michi.

"Well, like this and that," said Hisame with a blush. Michi just grabbed her by the ear and began to drag her out of the clearing.

"So what do we do now?" asked Choji as he munched on some chips.

"We help Sasuke-kun get better," said Ino as she rushed to the emo-boys side.

"Troublesome," said Shikamaru. "I guess we'll help Anko since she really needs help."

-x-

"Go on and try," said Naruto, getting everyone's attention. Then a smile appeared on his face. "That is…if you really think that I'm 'contained'".

Sechs stared at Naruto. _What could he be thinking? There's no way he can get out of the web those two twits wove. Is he trying to bluff me or something?_ Sechs then grinned evilly as something inside him told him that the fun was just starting.

"Yeah I do!" said Sechs as he began to spin the Titan blade in front of him. Around and around it went until it was just a blur. "**Burakku Tatsumaki!"** he yelled as a black mass of air shaped like a drill came rushing at Naruto. The blond reached behind him and pulled out the Raijin. Raising it over his head, he shot up into the air while cutting any chakra wire that were in his path until he was out of the web that the twin created. Sechs's attack continued, destroying everything in its path until it dissipated several dozen yards later.

"Wow!" cried Naruto as he looked at the damage. "Ame has some great jutsus. Who taught that to you Sechs?"

"No one," said Sechs with a grin as he tightened his grip on the Titan Blade. "That was a Sechs original."

"Cool, so you're a wind user too," said Naruto with grin. He then deactivated the Raijin and put it back in his pouch. "But there is a difference between a _user_ and a _master_." With that, Naruto began to spin his right arm around until a tornado formed around it. "Meet my own original, the **Sempuken**! Now, LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!" With that, Naruto shot down at Sechs who began to spin his blade again. But this time he was doing it above his head.

"Try this on for size," said Sechs. "Kakijiten!" As he called out his attack, the blades on the Titan Blade seemed to catch on fire making it look like a disk of flames due to the spinning. Sechs then threw the Titan Blade at Naruto who dodged the attack. The Titan Blade traveled to the end of the clearing until it hit a baby deer. A moment later a bunny and a baby skunk came out of hiding.

"Oh my Kami," cried the bunny. "He killed Bambi!"

"You bastard!" squeaked the skunk.

"What the hell?" yelled Naruto as he looked down from the air. "You can use fire as well?"

"Yes and no," answered Sechs. "Everyone knows that the more prepared shinobi will win. So I, in order to put this into practice, managed to complete the first step of four of the five elements. Look at it this way, you spent all your time working on one element while I went for a variety. This way, I can pick the attack that I know that will have the best chance at betting my opponent. Looks like you shouldn't have put all your eggs in one basket!"

"Please," said Naruto smugly. "Jack of all trades and master of none. There is a reason why people say that. You may be able to do more, but their power doesn't come close to mine!"

"We'll just have to see about that," said Sechs. He then charged forward and ran right for his Titan Blade. Naruto began to move to intercept but chakra wires appeared in front of him. He looked down and saw Elf and Zwölf as they made a net between Naruto and Sechs.

"From this point on," said Sechs as he pulled the Titan Blade out of the Bambi, "you two are not to interfere. Got it?"

"But Sechs-kun--," began Elf.

"GOT IT?" roared Sechs. The two nodded in defeat as the net vanished. Sechs then pointed the Titan Blade at Naruto. "From this point on, it's one on one. I want a clear victory against you as well as a fair one." With that, Sechs lifted the Titan blade over his head and began to spin it again.

"Fine with me," said Naruto as he pulled out the Raijin and activated the blade. He then flew down close to the ground and then headed right for Sechs. Sechs too began to run at Naruto as he yelled **"Kakijiten!"** Sechs's teammates watched at the two blades clashed. Naruto planted his feet on ground and began to push with all his might. Sechs pushed as well in this battle for dominance. Slowly, Sechs felt Naruto being pushed backwards and grinned and he added more chakra to feed the flames.

"This is it!" cried out Sechs in pure joy. "Finally I'll be able to prove to Hanzo-sama that I am better than you. Crushing you is only one step in fulfilling my dream to become as strong as Hanzo-sama!"

"That's it?" asked Naruto as he began to push back with more force. "That's all you want, to be as good as someone else? No wonder Hanzo-jiisan likes me better."

"What the hell are you talking about?" yelled Sechs as anger flooded his. "You don't know anything!"

"I think I know more than you," said Naruto as he took a step forward, shocking Sechs. "I plan on becoming the strongest Hokage ever, to surpass all the ones who came before me. I plan on surpassing even Hanzo-jiisan and everyone else out there."

"That's impossible!" yelled Sechs as he was forced back another step. "No one can ever become stronger than Hanzo-sama, no one! You'll die in vain trying!"

"But I dare to try," said Naruto as he took another step forward. "I'm sure that there was once somebody really strong before Hanzo-jiisan and he wanted to surpass him." Naruto took another step. "I'm sure a lot of people laughed at him and called him a baka." Once more, Sechs was forced back. "But with hard work, Hanzo-jiisan was able to achieve his goals and show everyone that he was able to become the strongest." Now a powerful wind began to surround the two swordsmen that began to push Elf and Zwölf away. "People may call me a baka, but I will surpass the old generation and step out of their shadow." Seeing he was in a losing battle, Sechs kicked Naruto in the chest and jumped backwards several feet. Naruto watched as Sechs just stood there with his head facing the earth.

'Is that what I've been doing wrong?' thought Sechs. 'All I've ever wanted was to be as powerful as Hanzo-sama, the man who saved me from being used as a human landmine detector.' He tightened his grip on his blade. 'Was it that simple? To be more like him I had to surpass him?' Slowly, Sechs raised his head and stared at Naruto.

"Uzumaki, what do you know of the great white shark?" asked Sechs. Naruto blinked.

"Ah, they're big, white sharks," said Naruto.

"Well, that's true," said Sechs as he sweat dropped. "But, they are so prefect that they have never needed to evolve. That is the way I have always viewed Hanzo-sama, a perfect killing machine. So tell me, how do I surpass perfection?"

"I don't know," said Naruto with a small grin. "But I'll let you know when I get there." Sechs blinked. Then, for reasons he didn't even know, Sechs began to laugh. Elf and Zwölf looked at each other in utter confusion as Sechs laughed so hard that he had a tear rolling down his cheek.

"I don't know what it is about you," said Sechs as he calmed down. "No matter what comes out of your mouth, it doesn't piss me off nearly as much as when others say things like it. And fighting you isn't nearly as boring as some of the other fights that that I've had to fight. Why is that?" Naruto shrugged.

"Maybe because you respect me as a worthy shinobi," said Naruto with a grin. Sechs grinned as well.

"Uzumaki, no matter how this fight ends, I'll have no regrets," said Sechs. He then ran through several hand signs before yelling, "**Doton: Yakyuu no Jutsu!**" Sechs then stomped his foot on the ground and a large, dense chunk of rock shot out of the ground. Sechs then swung the Titan Blade so that the flat side of his weapon hit the rock and sent it flying towards Naruto.

Naruto quickly put away the Raijin. Then he began to spin his right arm until once again there was a twister around it. Naruto then swung his fist at the incoming rock and yelled "**Sempuken!**" as he made contact. The rock burst into hundreds of smaller pieces and went flying towards Sechs. Not having enough time to start spinning his Titan Blade, Sechs guarded his vitals with his arms. While they were small, many of the rock pieces were able to do noticeable damage to Sechs. However, they were mostly nicks on his sides. But before he could lower his arms, Naruto's fist hit him in the gut.

'Clever,' thought Sechs. 'He used his jutsu to send mine right back at me. He then used it as a cover and flew at me to punch me in the gut. Not bad.' With that, Sechs hit the ground. He looked up and saw Naruto standing above him.

"Go on and finish it," said Sechs. "If you don't I'll just try again and again." Naruto grinned.

"I can live with that," he replied as he held out his hand. "Need a hand?" Sechs grinned as he slowly lifted his arm and took hold of Naruto's helping hand.

-x-

It was now the night before the second part of the exam ended. Anko and Sasuke had teamed up with Kabuto in order to get a Heaven Scroll. Kabuto directed them to the spot where they would have the most luck at finding one, around the tower. They began to watch the tower until they realized that they were under some kind of genjutsu. Once it was exposed, the Ame-nin responsible for it appeared and used the **Kasumi Jūsha no Jutsu** to fool them.

"This is getting us nowhere," said Anko as her Urumi pierced several clones that then turned into blackish ooze. Then, the clones began to regenerate until they looked as if nothing happened. "Sasuke, now's the time to put that Sharingan of yours to good use."

"Right," said Sasuke. He activated his Sharingan for a moment, but stopped as the mark on his neck began to cause him pain. 'What's wrong with me? I should be able to do with no problem. What did that freak do to me?' His line of thought ended as he dodged one of the clone's attacks.

Up in the tree Oboro and his two teammates laughed. Now all they had to do was get them to waste their chakra and then kill them once they were too weak to do anything about it. Then, they noticed two people enter the area where the fighting was taking place.

"Ramen's better!" yelled Naruto at Sechs who was picking his eyes.

"On what planet?" demanded Sechs. "Korokke is the food of the gods. You're just too stupid to notice."

"Why I'm going to…" began Naruto, but then both he and Sechs noticed the fight going on. "Hey guys, what up?"

Forgetting everything that was going on, Anko rushed over to Naruto and grabbed him by his shirt. She then began to shake him back and forth.

"What's up?" she said. "That's all you have to say? I was worried sick about you and here you are acting like nothing wrong happened? I was stuck with Sasuke for a whole week and it was no picnic!"

"Anko-chan please stop," begged Naruto before he went puff. Anko blinked in surprise.

"Damn," said 'Sechs'. "It was going to be so cool." Then he too went puff.

"What the hell happened?" demanded Oboro. Then he felt someone tap him on the back. Slowly, he and his teammates turned around and saw Team Sechs and Naruto. This left them with one thing to say. "Mommy." The last thing they saw were several fists coming right at them.

-x-

Next time will be the first match in the prelims. Hope you are ready for some changes. Also, if I get this done before Halloween, there will be a special nightmare in store for Hiashi. So please read and review!

-x-

Translations:

Burakku Tatsumaki: Black Tornado

Kakijiten: Fire Spin

Doton: Yakyuu no Jutsu -- Earth Release: Baseball Jutsu


	18. Chapter 18

Damn you Danzo! Why are you keeping Naruto away? Are you hoping Tsunade will die defending the village? AH!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest. Anyway, welcome to the special Halloween edition of Wind Lord! It's extra long today so there's you treat. Hope you all like my tricks as well! Please read and review.

-x-

Hiashi was alone, walking the path of an old trail in the middle of the woods. Moonlight shone on him and he could clearly see the stars due to the fact that all the leaves had fallen. A cold breeze blew past him, taking along with it several leaves. Not a sound could be heard. Not an insect, animal, nor the crunching of the leaves. It was as if he were the only thing alive in this forest. Yet that didn't seem to bother him as the head of the Hyuuga clan continued to walk on this old trail.

Soon Hiashi came to an old campground. He stood at the entrance and could see everything in the pale moonlight. There were several cabins that surrounded a fire pit that hadn't been used in the longest time. The cabins, once white, had fallen on hard times. Several windows were broken and there were holes here and there. The paint had begun to peal to reveal the rioted wood behind them. Hiashi looked at the sigh and saw that the camp was called 'Ugonnadiebitch'. Not knowing what that meant, Hiashi shrugged and made his way to the nearby lake.

Once he was on the dock, he saw a figure in the water. It was a woman and she was dressed only in her underwear. While that was shocking enough, he received an even larger one when he saw her face. It was his wife. She winked at him before beginning to swim into deeper parts of the lake.

Forgetting he was still clothed, Hiashi jumped into the water and swam after her. Nothing else seemed to register in his mind except the need to touch her once more. Eventually she stopped near the shore on the other side of the lake. When Hiashi was only a few feet away from her, she turned around causing Hiashi to gasp in fright.

Her eyes were gone!

"Why?" she asked in a voice that sounded like wailing. "Why did you destroy our family?" Before Hiashi could saw anything, a blade shot out of her stomach. Then a figure rose out of the water from behind her and Hiashi could see him. He was tall, bald, and wearing a hockey mask. Blood spilled out of the man's ex-wife and into the water.

Acting on instinct, Hiashi turned around and began to swim away from Jason as fast as he possible could. His chaser slowly sank to the bottom of the lake and began to walk after him. There was no need to hurry.

When Hiashi got to the shore he ran out of the water and towards the campground. Once there he found Hanabi sitting in front of the fire pit. A fire had been lit and she was staring at it with great intensity. Hiashi moved over to his daughter so that he could take her away from this awful place. However, before he was even several yards away from her, Hanabi's head spun around like an owls. Her eyes were missing and her hair began to grow at an alarming rate. Slowly it began to move towards Hiashi who began to stumble backwards.

Suddenly pain shot through his chest. A moment later a metal clawed hand shot out of his gut. Then came a severely burned head. Hiashi looked down and the head winked at him.

"Hey!" said Freddy. "It's a little crowded in here. That alien won't get off my couch!" Another hand came out of Hiashi and this one was holding a small, black serpent like creature. Hiashi screamed and Freddy laughed as he jumped out of Hiashi's gut. Hiashi, who was somehow fine, continued to scream as he ran into one of the cabins and closed the door.

Hiashi opened his eyes and found himself strapped to a metal chair. Looking down he saw tubes connected to his side and at the other end were medical bags containing a purplish liquid.

Then a voice spoke out from nowhere.

"_**Hello, Hyuuga Hiashi. I want to play a game. Every day you look down on others because you think you are better than they are, because they don't have your eyes. You insult others and belittle their skills while believing that only the head family of your clan has any merit. Now you must choose between your pride and your life.**_

"_**The chemical in those medical bags is a powerful paralyzing agent. It is so powerful that one drop will paralyze your luns. On the back of your chair is a remote device that will send a signal to release the chemical into your system. If you try to remove the tubes yourself, the agent will be released immediately into your system.**_

"_**Hidden in this room are two keys which will turn off the machine. Without them, you will die a very slow and painful death. Find the keys and you walk out of here with your life.**_

"_**You have one minute to find them. Here's a hint: the eyes have it. Let the games begin."**_

The bindings holding down Hiashi's arms were then released as a ticking sound filled the room. Hiashi looked around the room in a panic. He had to find those keys! Quickly he yelled out "**Byakugan!**" Using the power of his clans all seeing eyes he scanned the room. Finding nothing, he decided to scan himself and then froze.

The keys were behind his eyes!

Slowly, Hiashi moved a trembling hand to his left eye. Soon he was screaming in pain as he pushed his fingers into his soft eyes, destroying it. Slowly he pulled out a key as the remains of his eyes fell to the floor. Then, as he held up the tiny key, the buzzer sounded.

"_**Times up**_," said the voice as the toxin entered Hiashi's system.

-x-

Hiashi woke up in a cold sweat. On his TV set were several horror DVD's. Slowly he remembered the horror movie fest he had the previous night.

"Ok then," he said slowly. "No more horror movies before bed."

-x-

Naruto walked down the hallways of the tower towards the showers. On one arm was a towel while the other carried his soap and shampoo. While this place had a lot of rooms, there was only one shower in the entire building. True, about twenty people could shower at the same time in the shower room, but it was a huge inconvenience. The reason before this was the reason Naruto stopped in the middle of the hall as he saw all the male shinobi standing outside the shower room with their own soaps and towels. Only one thing could do this: the girls got to the shower first!

With a sigh, Naruto looked around. There were several seats in the area, but they were already in use. There was also a large bookcase filled with books and magazines. Whoever had set this area up must have done so with this kind of situation in mind.

Having nothing else to do, Naruto went over to the bookcase and randomly pulled a book off the case. After blowing off a layer of dust that was on the cover, he opened it to discover that it was full of fairy tales. Having nothing better to do, Naruto began to read the first one.

'Long ago there was a powerful shinobi named the Rikudō Sennin. During his time on earth he had taken many wives and with them had many children. Each one of his children grew up to be gifted shinobi as well, each with their own special skills.

'One day, near the end of his life, the Rikudō Sennin called three of his sons to his bed side. Each one of these three came from different mothers and each had his own values. The oldest of the three was the wisest who weighed out each situation before making any kind of decision. The middle son was faithful and viewed the world in black and white terms. The youngest of the three was the most loving, following his heart in every choice he made.

'When all three stood before their father he spoke to them.

'"My sons," he said. "My time grows short and I wish to give you each your inheritance before I go. But, I do not know what to give you. So go and bring me the thing that you cherish most. From that, I will decide who shall receive what blessing."

'So the next day his sons entered their father's room one by one. The eldest son entered first, bringing with him only a branch.

'"Tou-san," said the eldest son. "This is what I cherish most in the world. Trees give us shade from the sun and food to eat. I made my house from them, as did you. They make the air we breathe and make the air smell sweet."

'The Rikudō Sennin nodded and beckoned his son to come to his bedside. Once he was close enough, his father placed a purple teardrop in his son's hand.

'"My son," said the Rikudō Sennin. "You are very wise to thank nature for all it provides. For your wisdom, I shall grant you great power to protect what you cherish. While the giant beasts may destroy the cities, your forests will sap their strength. In the end, they will bow to you like a dog to his master. They will fear you and your powers."

'Then the second son came into the room with nothing.

'"Tou-san," he said. "I cherish my eyes above all else. Like yours, they let me see many things in ways others cannot. With them, I can see all that is good and evil. And with these eyes, I shall destroy evil!"

'The Rikudō Sennin nodded and beckoned his son to come to his bedside. Once he was close enough, his father placed a second purple teardrop in his son's hand.

'"My son," said the Rikudō Sennin. "I am proud that you wish to do good in the world. So to help you with this quest, I grant you great power. On your command, the giant beast will come to you. No matter where they may be, your voice shall always reach them and they shall always appear before you. But I leave you with this warning. Always remember that you are a mere mortal and capable of mistakes. With this power, what will happen can never be undone. So do not pass judgment too rashly or else you shall become the very evil you wish to destroy."

'Then the youngest brother entered the room with his fiancé. At this, his brothers scoffed for he spent much of his time with her instead of training.

'"Tou-san," said the youngest of the three. "You asked what I cherished most in this world and I have brought her to you. She may not be the most beautiful, the best cook, or dress in the finest robes, but she means more to me than anything else. She makes me feel like I can touch the stars with the grace of the eagles. She shall bare my children and create a family for me. As long as I have her, I need nothing else."

'"Bold words," said the boys' father. "Then you don't mind if I give your inheritance to your other brothers?"

'"Do with it what you wish for it is yours to give," said his son without wasting a moment. "I have earned my loves heart and it means more to me than anything that is simply given." At that, his brothers shook their heads and called him a fool for turning down power.

'Then the Rikudō Sennin got out of bed, walked over to his youngest son, and hugged him tightly.

'"My precious son," he said. "You are by far the wisest. Strength in power may last only a few decades, but love will last for generations. So onto you I shall grant the power to protect those you care about. Thou the giant beasts will try to harm you and your kin, your love will destroy them with their own power. The more they try to harm you, the more harm they shall do onto themselves." And with that, he gave his youngest son the final purple teardrop.

'Soon after this, their father passed on and the three brothers left to start their own clans. The…'

Naruto was about to turn the page when he heard something coming from inside the shower.

"Dear Kami!" cried Ino. "Hinata, those boobs are huge!"

"Ino," whined Hinata. "Not so loud. The boys might…hey don't feel me up!" Now all the boys were listening.

"But I couldn't help myself," said Elf.

"AAHHHHH," came the voice of Temari. "What the hell is wrong with you two?"

"I couldn't help but make a comparison," said Zwölf. Now all the boys had nose bleeds, even Gaara!

"Hey," said Elf. "Nice tattoo, blondy. Very daring to put a rose there!"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Temari. A moment later the twins from Ame came running out of the shower with their towels loosely hanging off their bodies. Soon all the other girls came out of the shower with many of them having red faces due to embarrassment. Once all the girls had left, the boys entered the area when it had all happened.

A few minutes later the girls came back to the shower area. Leading the pack was Temari who was going to kill Kankuro for taking her make-up again. The other girls were coming along to watch her kill him with her fan. Once they were in front of the shower room, they were able to hear what was going on inside.

"Holy shit!" yelled Kiba.

"Nani?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah," came Sechs voice. "Why the hell are you pointing at us?"

"Those things are huge!" roared Kiba. Now the girls were really listening in with nose bleeds of their own.

"You make the rest of us feel…inadequate," said Shino.

"Troublesome," said Shikamaru.

"Maybe you're all just too small," said Naruto. "I mean, why do we have to be too big?"

"Baka," said Sechs. "It's a complement." He paused for a moment. "But that was a good insult."

"You're freaks," said Zaku. "And look at that guy. He reminds me of those tanuki statues."

"Is that a problem?" demanded Gaara.

"Hey, if you have a problem then stop staring!" shouted Sechs.

"How can we not?!" yelled Kiba. The girls, at that point, decided silently to leave before they heard anything else. Anymore and it would be impossible to look at their male teammates anymore without remembering this and letting their imaginations go to work.

-x-

Eight genin teams now stood in rows of three in a large room. Before them stood their sensei's, the examiners, and the Hokage himself. There were also several technicians in the room who were setting up cameras in various parts of the room. Before anyone could ask what was up with them the Hokage cleared his throat.

"Congratulations are in order," said Sarutobi. "You have all passed very difficult tests to make it this far. It was only by working with your teammates and trusting each other that you were able to do this. But from this point on you will be fighting for yourself.

"In one month's time various Daimyo's, lords, and other high ranking people will be coming to this village to see you demonstrate your skills in one on one combat. This time will be used so that we may contact all the needed parties officially and give them the proper amount of time needed to get here. Also it will give you all time to hone your skills and rest so that you will be at your very best. Remember that the people coming may also be your future clients. They will be judging your village by your fights and use them to determine if they want to hire your villages shinobi."

As Sarutobi went on, Naruto and Sechs became very excited. The last part of the exam would be a fighting competition of some kind. That meant that there was a good chance they would get a rematch! Just then a cloud of smoke appeared in between the genin and the Hokage. When the smoke cleared a sickly looking man stood in front of them.

"Hokage-sama (cough) it is time," he said. As he turned around to face the Genins the camera crew left the area. "My name is (cough) Gekko Hayate. Before we have the finals, we must (cough) cut the number of shinobi who will be taking (cough) it. We mustn't bore the people coming with too many fights that aren't (cough) worth their time. To do this we will be having a prelim round. Also, the (cough) council has decided to air (cough) this all live. With all this (cough) in mind, please raise your hand if you are not feeling well (cough) or your camera shy and you will be dropped."

When he was finished, most of the genin in the room were wondering if he should even be here as well. In the end three people raised their hands. They were Kabuto, Elf, and Zwölf. Sechs looked at his two teammates in confusion.

"Why the fuck are you two dropping out now?!" he demanded. "You might get an easy win!"

"But our fighting style requires the both of us," said Elf. "We're useless by ourselves."

"Yeah," agreed Zwölf. "Not to mention that we might have to fight you."

Meanwhile, people all over the Elemental Nations were tuning in to watch the prelims. Once five teams had arrived, the rules stated that they had too many shinobi and prelims were needed. So the council decided to make some more as well as advertise for the upcoming finals at the same time with a live television broadcast. Ever since then, advertisements were made telling people about these matches and they didn't go unnoticed. Iruka had canceled classes for that day so they could all watch the fights so his students could see what real shinobi combat was like. Hanzo had a plasma TV set moved into his office so he could watch Naruto and Sechs fight. In a mountain cabin, Zabuza was fiddling with the antenna so he could watch without seeing snow. The people in Nami were all set to watch this as well. Every bar and casino had tuned in so people could place bets, getting the attention of a certain blond woman.

-x-

In Kumogakure, Killerbee made his way to his brother's office. When he entered the room he was the Raikage and Nii Yugito standing in front of a TV set. When they heard him come in, they turned to greet him.

"So tell me bro, will these fights require a cup of joe?" rapped Killerbee. The other two shinobi in the room groaned.

"You baka," said Yugito. "The Kyuubi Jinchūriki will be in this exam."

"I have now seen the light, the kitsune will be in the fight," rapped Killerbee. "But I must know about this bout, tell me how you found out."

"One of our spies informed us," said the Raikage. "We have also learned that Suna's Jinchūriki will also be in the exam. A fight between the two will make this very exciting."

-x-

In a bar a few miles from Konohagakure, one person wasn't as informed as he should have been.

"They're canceling my soap for toady for some gaki fight?" demanded Jiraiya as he looked at the television set. That was so unfair. His book was supposed to be in today's episode. Then he saw the two female announcers for the program and decided that maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Welcome fight fans," said the first one. She had on a whit short sleeved shirt, yellow shorts, and a blue tie. She was young, maybe around twenty, and had bushy brown hair with whisker marks on her face. "I'm your hostess Gensei Koto!"

"And I'm Tatemaru Juri," said the equally young girl next to Koto. She had teal colored hair and blue eyes. Her black outfit clung tightly to her body and the area around the stomach was completely bare. A piece of pink cloth covered her breast.

"In one month the finals for the chunin exam will take place," said Koto excitedly. "But who can wait to see all that blood and violence. So thanks to the Konoha council, we are bringing you fight fans and gamblers the prelims!"

"The rules are simple," said Juri. "You are disqualified if you fall unconscious, deemed unfit to continue, or die. Other than that there are no rules. Currently there are three shinobi who are the odds on favorites. First there is Uchiha Sasuke, the last of the Uchiha clan and a student of Hatake Kakashi. Next we have Hyuuga Neji who is considered to be the young genius of his clan. Finally we Gaara, youngest son of the Kazekage."

"But let's not forget all the other contestants," said Koto. "All of them have earned the right to be here and they are ready to go. Oh look, the first match has been decided." It was true. While they had been talking a screen behind them showed what was going on at the tower. The screen zoomed in on another screen which went through names randomly and had stopped on the names of two unlikely shinobi.

"It seems that the first fight will be between Uchiha Sasuke and Shihōin Hinata," said Juri as she was handed a piece of paper from off the camera. "According to our information, Hinata-san was kicked out of the Hyuuga clan for being too weak. It looks like Sasuke-san will be in for an easy match."

"Don't be too sure," said Koto. "I have heard that Hinata-san was trained by Yuruichi-sama."

-x-

Back in the tower, everyone but Hayate, Hinata, and Sasuke had gone up to the waiting area to watch the fights. Sasuke was gripping his shoulder as he waited for the fight to begin. It was clear to everyone that he was in pain. What they didn't know was that he couldn't risk using his chakra or else the seal would be unleashed if he couldn't control it. This put him in a dangerous spot.

"Ano," said Hinata. "Sasuke, if you aren't feeling well then maybe you should forfeit and get some help."

"Shut up," snarled Sasuke. "This is nothing. And it would take more than this to cause me to lose to someone who was so weak that their own family kicked them out!" At that, Hinata's eyes narrowed.

"That was uncalled for," said Hinata slowly. Up in the stands, Anko and Naruto shivered knowing that Hinata was barely keeping her anger in check.

"Well that was mean," said Haku as she appeared next to Naruto.

"You can say…Haku-itoko, what are you doing here?" asked Naruto once he realized she was there. From across the room, Gaara noticed she was there was well and felt his face become warmer for some reason.

"Well I wanted to see you in this exam," she replied. "I got here a while ago, but I've been in the kitchen until just a little while ago. When this is over, I can serve everyone my latest creation!" Once again, Naruto and Anko shuttered.

"You shouldn't be here," continued Sasuke. He could tell he was hitting her buttons. He needed to push her until she snapped and couldn't think straight. He would then use that to his advantage and win the match. Sure it was low and dirty, but that didn't matter in this exam. "You're just a weak little girl who was only taken in out of pity. When I lost everything, I didn't go crying to others!"

"Alright, that's enough," said Hayate. "Hajime!"

What happened next was a blur. Before Sasuke could even get into his fighting stance he was shot straight into the air. Then he was flung right into the wall so hard that it caused cracks to form before falling to the floor. Those who had been watching Hinata had only seen her flicker for a moment and assumed that their eyes were playing tricks on them. Hayate went over to Sasuke and confirmed that he was unconscious.

"Winner: Hinata!"

-x-

"What happened?" asked Juri. "Did she use some kind of mental power? Was that legal?"

"Everything's legal here," said Koto. "As for what happened, let's do a playback in super slow motion!" The scene changed and showed the match between Sasuke and Hinata. As Sasuke slowly got into his stance Hinata used shunpo to get in front of him to deliver a sky high kick. Then, while Sasuke was in the air, Hinata got in front of him again, grabbed his shirt, and gave him two hard kicks in the gut. She then let go of his shirt and delivered the final roundhouse kick before returning to her original spot.

"Amazing," commented Juri. "She moved so fast that you couldn't even see her move. And it looks like Kakashi-san is taking Sasuke-san out of the arena. Do you think there's something wrong?"

"Maybe a couple of broken bones," said Koto as she noticed that the next two contenders had been decided. "Looks like round two will be Yamanaka Ino vs. Tsuchi Kin. This should be interesting. The Yamanaka clan is known for its mind controlling jutsus. However, we know little about the Oto-nin so it's anyone's guess."

-x-

Back at the tower, Hinata made her way back to her team while Ino and Kin made their way to the floor. By the time she got halfway Naruto appeared in front of her and embraced her in a hug causing her face to turn red. Kiba growled at this and wanted to stop Naruto right away, but Kurenai held the feral boy back.

"You did great Hinata-chan!" said Naruto loudly as he let go.

"T-Thanks Naruto-kun," said Hinata as she tried to get her emotions back under control. "But I'm sorry I hurt your teammate."

"Naw, don't worry about it," said Naruto. "He was being a jerk and deserved it."

On the floor, Kin could hear her teammates belittling her. It was always like this with her and today she was going to change that. She had a secret weapon that she had planned to save for the finals, but after their last failure she decided to go all out. Even if it was wasted on a girl who was most likely a fan girl.

"Hajime!" yelled Hayate.

With that, Ino pulled out a kunai. Kin, however, pulled out a scroll and smirked. She then bit her thumb, opened the scroll, and then unsealed the weapon inside. When the smoke cleared Kin was seen holding a scythe. The handle was black and the blade reflected the light perfectly. On the other end was a chain and attached to the chain was a bell the size of a fist.

"It'll take more than that to beat me," said Ino as she began to sweat. Kin smirked as she charged at the blond. Ino raised her kunai and waited. She knew the weakness of her weapon was that after she swung it she would leave herself exposed. All Ino had to do was wait, dodge, and then attack. A half second later Kin was in front of Ino and swung her scythe. As the blade drew nearer, Ino heard a ringing sound. Then the next thing she knew was that there were five blades now. Freaking out, Ino jumped back in time to dodge the attack.

"What's wrong Ino?" yelled Chouji. "You looked like you freaked out back there."

"I know," said Ino as she kept her eyes on Kin. "There's something off about that weapon." Kin smirked.

"Even if you knew what it was there is nothing you can do about it," said Kin as she readied her scythe. "This next attack will finish you off!" With that, Kin ran at Ino with the back end of her weapon ready to strike. Ino was prepared to act when she heard the ringing of a bell again and then the bell suddenly became the size of a boulder. Panicking, Ino jumped to the side as the giant bell crashed into the ground. The force Ino had used to jump away had been so great that when she hit the ground she began to roll for several feet. Quickly she tried to get up, but Kin was already set to strike. In a single motion the scythe slashed across Ino's chest causing blood to fly in the air. Shock filled Ino's eyes before she fell to the ground.

Kin stared at the body as blood began to pool around her and sighed. She had missed her vitals. The blond would live.

"Winner: Kin!" yelled Hayate as medics rushed onto the scene.

-x-

"Now that's more like it," said Koto. "In my opinion, when it comes to blood spilling Kin is a cut above the rest!"

"But what happened to Ino-san?" asked Juri. "Nothing was happening yet she looked like she was in some kind of panic."

"Well, my guess would have to be a genjutsu of some kind," said Koto. "Maybe it had something to do with that scythe." Just then, Juri was handed a piece of paper from off the screen.

"I have just been informed that Yamanaka Ino is expected to make a full recovery," said Juri. "Well, I'm sure all the young men out there are happy."

"The third round has just been decided," said Koto. "The next match will be Hyuuga Neji vs. Uzumaki Naruto!"

-x-

Special Halloween Omake

The Suna siblings entered a dinner on the other side of Konoha. As they seated themselves, they noticed that everyone was eating tomato soup. A few seconds later, Haku appeared from behind the counter.

"Hello," she said pleasantly. "I'm Uzumaki Haku and I'll be your waitress. Today we have only the soup and the special."

"Wait," said Kankuro. "What kind of place has only two things to eat?"

"Sorry," said Haku. "But the manager was high when he ordered our last shipment of supplies and we can't use most of it."

"Fine, I'll have the soup," said Temari.

"I will also have the soup," said Gaara.

"I'll try the special," said Kankuro.

"Be back in a flash," said Haku. And true to her word she was back before they knew it. She handed out the two soups and then gave Kankuro the special. It was a grey, mushy substance with veins all over it.

"Who made this?" demanded Kankuro as he poked it with his fork.

"I did," said Haku.

"Ok, there is…" began Kankuro, but was stopped as Gaara's sand wrapped around his neck.

"Eat it," said Gaara. Seeing no other choice, as soon as the sand let go of him, he began to eat. Each bite cause his eyes to sting and his stomach felt like it was jumping through hoops. And after thirty bites he was done. However, Haku was giving him strange looks.

"What?" he demanded weakly.

"Well, it's just that the last person who ate the special had an odd reaction," she said. Kankuro was about to ask what she meant when he felt something pushing its way up his throat. Whatever it was, it was solid and big. Kankuro opened his mouth and then a small black alien jumped out of his mouth. The alien then went over to Kankuro, forcibly opened his mouth, and pulled out a straw hat and a cane. The alien put the hat on and tucked the cane under its armpit as it began to sing and dance.

"Hello, my baby!  
Hello, my honey!  
Hello, my ragtime gal!

Send me a kiss by wire.  
Baby, my heart's on fire!

If you refuse me,  
Honey, you lose me.  
Then you'll be left alone.

Oh baby, telephone  
And tell me I'm  
Your own!"

When it was over, the alien held out its straw hat in front of the Suna siblings.

"What do you want?" demanded Kankuro.

"I think it wants a tip," said Temari. Seeing the creature nod, both she and Gaara put a couple of coins in the alien's hat.

"No way in hell am I paying it," said Kankuro as he crossed his arms. The next thing he knew was that the alien had jumped on him and began to tear up his face.


	19. Chapter 19

Well, Kakashi is dead. Danzo is an evil jerk. And Naruto, get your ass back to Konoha NOW!

Halloween wasn't all that good for me. I had played to dress up for work, but at the last minute they told me that there would be now costumes. And mine was perfect! I was going as that creepy old guy from Family Guy! How dare they?!

About last chapter, I'm sure you all enjoyed it. Believe me that the story of the three brothers is important and will pop up again later. Also, I hoped everyone liked my updated Kin. So, should she stay?

Please enjoy this story and review.

-x-

As soon as the pairing was heard for the third round, the people who were watching began to have different reactions. The people of Nami began to grow excited and cheer for the hero who saved their land and spirits. Zabuza began to curse as snow reappeared on his TV set. The general population of Konoha prayed for either Naruto's death or at the very least to get crippled. Hanzo began to put all his focus on this one match as did the Raikage.

At the academy, Hanabi sat there with a bored look on her face. Neji was going to win this with ease. After all, even her father said his skills were far above average.

"Alright," yelled Konohamaru. "Now we get to see Naruto-niisan fight! He'll win for sure!"

"Please," said Hanabi who was sitting near him. "I know Neji and he'll win this with ease."

"That's not true," said Konohamaru as he stood up and pointed at Hanabi. "Just you wait. The boss will take down Neji. He is my rival for Hokage after all."

"That's a laugh," said Hanabi.

"Alright, that's enough you two," said Iruka. "Sit down and watch or you can stand outside while hold buckets until the matches are over."

Needless to say, Konohamaru sat down. But not before sticking his tongue at Hanabi.

-x-

Hiashi sat with the Hyuuga elders as they all watched the matches. Hinata's victory had been a huge blow to him. Hiashi could tell by the looks on most of the other elders faces that they believed that Hiashi had been too quick to judge the girl. Or maybe his teaching methods didn't work with her. Now everyone knew that they had kicked out such a promising shinobi. Hiashi could barely contain his anger. Had the assassins he hired had only done their job this would never of happened.

He calmed down a bit as he picked up his tea cup. He wasn't out of this yet, he still had Neji. While he had wanted Neji to prove that the power of a true Hyuuga was greater than that of the Uchiha, seeing the Uzumaki die would be a good second place. And then after that, he could look forward to seeing Hinata's death as well. And the best part was that no legal action could be taken against them during these exams. Without bothering to drink from it, Hiashi continued to hold his tea cup as he watched the screen.

-x-

"Wonder how this fight is going to go?" asked someone close to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya said nothing as he stared at the picture on the screen. It was as if they had taken a picture of Minato when he was a boy and then gave him whisker marks. As he stared at it, questions began to fill his head. What was he like? Did he have his father's element? How well trained was he?

To those few who knew that Jiraiya was Naruto's godfather, him leaving Naruto to fend for himself was a disappointment. They believed that he should have taken Naruto with him or stared in the village with him. But Jiraiya had his reasons. Had they gone on the road, they would have been moving from place to place, never staying in one location for too long. This would have made it hard for Naruto to form bonds with anyone other than himself. Then there were his enemies. He was human after all and couldn't watch Naruto all the time. All it would take was someone like Orochimaru to go after Naruto to get to him. Also having a kid around might mess with his research.

Staying in the village was out of the question as well. He had his spy network which he felt the village needed. Also, because of this, he had leader about some dangerous people out there that the old man needed to know. If he hadn't left the village he might never have found out about them. There would also have been the pressure from the old man to become Hokage, something that he didn't want.

Every now and then he contacted his old sensei by mail to find out how things were going with Naruto. For security, they kept them short and the letters focused on how he was doing socially. For his part, Jiraiya wasn't surprised by how the villagers treated Naruto. It was how all Jinchūriki were treated and it was better than having him becoming nothing more than a weapon for the village. But that didn't make it right. He was surprised when he had found out about Anko becoming his first real friend. And he nearly flipped when Hinata had been added as a friend. After hearing that, Jiraiya was sure he made the right choice.

"We now have stats on both shinobi," said Juri as a side box appeared on the screen. It showed both Naruto's and Neji's pictures with graphs showing their various stats in terms of chakra, tiajutsu level, ninjutsu level, genjutsu level, and experience. As far as anyone could see, Neji beat Naruto in four of those categories. "Hyuuga Neji was last year's rookie of the year in Konoha. His skills in juken are highly developed despite him being a branch member. He will be fighting against a virtual no name who was this years dead last. I feel that it is safe to say that Neji-san will win this one easily!"

-x-

In a bar, one very drunk blond was watching the television. Upon hearing what Juri said, she decided to make a bet that she was sure she wouldn't lose.

"Shizune," said Tsunade. "Put all our money on the Hyuuga gaki!"

"But Tsunade-sama," said Shizune with a fearful voice. "You have to think about this more carefully. We are finally able to pay off half of our debts. Do you really think it's wise to gamble it all like this?"

"This is a sure bet," said Tsunade as she waved off Shizune. With a sigh, Shizune placed the bet, praying to all the gods she could think of to let her master win.

-x-

"What information are you looking at?" demanded Koto.

"Ah, the one that Konoha gave us," said Juri as she held up some papers. Koto just rolled her eyes.

"You're still new to all of this," said Koto. "Fight fans, as a seasoned announcer I know you can't base everything on a single source. According to the rumors, it was Naruto-san who played a major role in taking down Momochi Zabuza and then killed the crime lord Gato. He has been given a C rank in the bingo books and has been given the title of Kaze-shu by Sanshouo no Hanzo himself!

"Historically, the Uzumaki clan prided itself for raising the most unpredictable shinobi in the entire world. However, the Uzumaki clan was believed to have been destroyed years ago when the Kyuubi destroyed Uzu no Kunai. But is seems there is one left!"

"That's what you're basing your opinions on?" demanded Juri. "Are rumors and history that no one cares about the best you could come up with?"

"Rumors have to start somewhere. Also, I like his whisker marks," admitted Koto with a blush. "If only he were older."

-x-

Naruto now stood across from Neji. Slowly he looked around to get an idea of the area. The room was large, but not big enough for some of his summons if he needed them. Also, he couldn't fly around as much as he would like to or do any blinding attacks using the sun.

"You should just give up," said Neji suddenly. Naruto's attention returned to Neji who was looking at him with a bored expression. "Fate has already decided that I will win and that you will lose."

"I don't think so," said Naruto. "As far as I know, the only thing that determines my future is me!"

"That is were you are wrong," said Neji as he shook his head. "From the moment we are born, our fates are determined and set in stone. Fate determines everything up till our death. Take for example your desire to be Hokage, it will never happen. Only a select few every become Hokage and that is because they were fated to do so. It is impossible for you, an orphan with no clan to speak of, because you are only as strong as the family you are born into. Things like free will are only an illusion!"

After that, Neji was silent. Neither of them said a word. Slowly, Naruto closed his eyes as he remembered what Hanzo had told him back when he last saw the old man. Slowly a smile appeared on his face as he opened his eyes, shocking Neji. The look he had was one of pure confidence with no trace of doubt.

"That's a baka's belief," said Naruto. "People call me a baka, but I'm nothing compared to you!"

"Haji…," began Hayate.

"Wait!" yelled Sechs. He then ran off the platform used by all the foreign shinobi and onto the side occupied by the Konoha-nins stopping between Anko and Hinata. Everyone just stared at him, wondering why he did that just now. "I just feel safer over here," he said after a moment or two under their gaze.

"Hajime!" yelled Hayate who wanted to get this underway. No sooner had he said that when a powerful wind seemed to explode from were Naruto was standing. Neji watched as Naruto began to float two feet off the ground with his arms crossed.

Neji wasn't the only one shocked. Almost all the rookies in the room watched with open mouths as Naruto began to something they had never seen before. There was just no way that this could be the same Naruto who was always the class clown, the dobe. Even Orochimaru was shocked to see this.

_This is impossible_, thought Neji. _This must be a trick of some kind. Whatever it is, I will not lose. I gave him a chance to leave here with his life and he turned it down. Now he will be humiliated on live TV right before I end his life!_

"**Byakugan!**" yelled Neji as veins appeared around his eyes. Naruto smirked at this right before he took off to the slide. Naruto then began to fly around the room at a slow pace at first but soon began to pick up speed. Neji, on the other hand, remained where he was. "What is this about Uzumaki? Do you plan to attack me at some point or just glide around like an idiot?"

"Just getting into the right mood," said Naruto as he began to move towards Neji from the side. As soon as he was close enough, Neji spun around and prepared to give Naruto a palm trust to the chest using an upper arm motion. However, as Neji's arm went up so did Naruto as he blew over Neji. Once he was on the other side of Neji, Naruto quickly spun around to give him a kick to the face. However, Neji saw it in time and blocked it with his forearm.

"You can surprise me like this," said Neji as they stayed in the same position.

"I know," replied Naruto. "Hinata-chan is my friend after all."

"Don't you dare mention that loser bitches name in my presence," spat Neji. Then, for a moment, Neji saw something in Naruto's eyes that scared him. It was only for a moment, but Neji saw pure fury and hatred directed at him. Suddenly Naruto flew backwards by several yards and then suddenly he stopped.

"Do you always have to bring that grudge with you into every fight?" asked Naruto as he stared at Neji. "It's getting old Neji, really old. I know all about what happen that night you know. Hinata-chan was the victim that night so get over it!"

"No!" yelled Neji. "If it hadn't been for her, my father would still be here!" Naruto sighed.

"Looks like words aren't enough to get past that thick skull of yours," said Naruto. "Looks like I'll have to use my fists!" With that, Naruto began to circle around the room once again. But this time it was much faster. As Naruto went faster and faster, it seemed like a whirlwind had formed in the room.

Neji continued to stand in the middle of it all using chakra to glue his feet to the ground. He stood there, doing his best to follow Naruto with his eyes. Then he saw something shot at him from his ten o'clock position. But something was off. It had a chakra network and another object with a chakra network was still spinning around the room. Quickly he grabbed a kunai from his holder and slashed at the incoming Naruto who then went poof. Just then two more Naruto's appeared, coming from his three and twelve o'clock positions. Neji managed to take them out as well, making it seem effortless.

_What is this?_ thought Neji as he noticed six more clones coming from multiple sides at once. _These aren't normal clones. They each have their own chakra network and their chakra is evenly distributed. I can't tell them apart!_

Then, after Neji had destroyed all the clones, the real Naruto shot out at him while spinning his right arm around. Soon, a small twister had appeared around his fist as Naruto yelled out, "**Sempuken!**" Acting on instinct, Neji dodged it by side stepping Naruto figuring that he could land a hit as Naruto passed him by. Yet the powerful winds that the Sempuken created were too much and, while he dodged it, he was still sent flying till he hit the wall with a loud thud. _Damn that hurt_, he thought. _If that was just from getting too close, I'd better not get hit by it directly. _Neji's eyes then widened when he saw that Naruto was still coming while his back was turned. Neji spun around and leapt as far from the wall as he could as Naruto's fist connected to the wall.

The effect was immediate. One moment the wall was there and the next there was a huge explosion. Chunks of rock went flying forward, going through several walls. If fact, Naruto could see the outside from were he was! All that remained was ruble, large rocks that were too heavy, and several bits of metal. Luckily for the foreign genins, their sensei's sensed the danger and were able to get them out of danger. Expect for Gaara who had to do so on his own. Now everyone stood on the same side, staring at Naruto, trying not to piss their pants at the power jutsu that he had.

_We need to rethink the rules_, thought the old Hokage as he took a drag. _When we made the rule that there weren't any rules, we never thought we'd have to deal with something like this. I'm just glad Naruto hasn't summoned anything yet!_

Now Naruto was on the ground, staring at Neji with a small smirk.

"So Neji," said Naruto smugly. "Am I still fated to lose here? Do I still have no talent since I don't have a family?"

"I-I stand by what I said," said Neji as he got into his fighting stance. _I just have to get close to him to seal off his chakra!_

"Fine then," said Naruto as he raised his right arm straight above his head. "I guess I'll try this jutsu on you." With that, Naruto began to spin his arm around while keeping his palm flat. Soon, an almost flat disk of wind appeared an inch off of Naruto's palm. Soon it took the form of a shuriken. Naruto then brought his arm down and took a position that looked like he was about to throw a Frisbee. Naruto then threw this wind shuriken at Neji while yelling, "**Sempushuriken!**" Neji was about to dodge the attack when he saw it break apart into small bits of spinning wind. Soon there was at two dozen or more of them. Seeing how spread out they were, Neji knew he couldn't dodge all of them or get out of the way in time. Knowing the only way out of this, Neji got into a position and then began to spin his body around while yelling, "**Kaiten!**" Soon a spinning dome of chakra appeared around him and deflected the attack. Naruto just stood there and watched, impressed with the jutsu he had just seen Neji use.

As soon as his jutsu ended, a tired Neji launched himself towards Naruto. What happened next was Neji fighting at close range. He continued to launch palm trust after palm trust while forcing Naruto to retreat. But it wasn't as if Naruto wasn't fighting back. The blond send his own fists towards Neji in attempts to hit him which failed.

"Well," said Tenten as she watched Neji force Naruto to back up some more. "It looks like Naruto's speed isn't as on the ground."

"That might be true," said Sechs. "But all that will mean nothing if Neji-san can't clip the Kaze-shu's wings."

Seeing a palm trust directed at his chest, Naruto decided to go fly upwards while backing up so he could keep his eyes on Neji. He noticed now that Neji looked like he was running low on chakra. Sweet seemed to be covering him face and dripping on his clothing and the floor. He had been like that since the Kaiten so Naruto figured that had to be the reason. It used too much chakra and Neji hadn't built up his reserves enough. A smile appeared on his face.

"Time to end this Neji," said Naruto as he began to spin his right arm around. However, no visible wind seemed to for like last time. Naruto then stopped and then examined his arm to see something he hadn't noticed before. Around his arm were red dots! "When did you…?"

"Finally noticed," said Neji with a smirk. "I closed all the chakra points in your right arm while we were exchanging blows. Now I don't have to worry about that Sempuken of yours. Face it, your fate is still to lose to me!"

"Is that so," said Naruto as he lowered his right arm. "Well I hate to disappoint you but I'm not done yet!" With that, Naruto raised his left arm and began to spin it. Neji could only watch in horror as a new Sempuken formed.

"That's impossible!" yelled Neji.

"Maybe for someone who believes that fate decides everything," said Naruto. "But I make my own!" With that, Naruto raced to the ground a few feet from Neji and slammed his fist into the ground. There was a loud explosion and smoke, despite the powerful wind, blocked everyone's view of the arena. Sechs waited with an insane smile on his face as he waited to see the destruction.

When the smoke cleared, everyone left of a gasp at what they saw. The stone floor had been destroyed! Parts of the stone tiles had been broken and turned on their side all over the place, making it look like a valley of spikes. In the area that Naruto had hit the floor had been reduced to sand. _That's it_, thought Sarutobi as he viewed all of this. _We're adding more rules next time so this doesn't happen again. I'm just glad that this is the ground floor and the only thing beneath us is several layers of rock. If it hadn't, the floor would have collapsed. _

Soon, Tenten spotted Neji and pointed him out. He was leaning against a rock spike and in bad shape. His left leg had been stabbed by a chunk of rock shaped like a dagger. His clothing looked like it had been slashed and had several blood spots all over it. His skin was dirty and he was panting hard to try to deal with the pain. Team Gai could only stare in shock. They never believed that anyone here could hurt Neji like…like that! It had to be a dream of some kind.

Then Naruto was spotted floating near the ceiling. Unlike Neji, he didn't seem to have any blood on him. However, the powerful winds had ripped away at his shirt leaving his chest exposed to everyone who could see and his pants now ended at his kneecaps. Seeing this, all the girls suddenly had nosebleeds except for Haku.

"Alright, that's (cough) it," said Hayate. Everyone turned to seem him standing on a spike, dirty but unharmed. "Neji is unable to continue (cough) fighting. Also, if we let (cough) this continue who knows what will (cough) be destroyed next. So the (cough) winner is Naruto."

"NO!" yelled Neji as he tried to take a step forward. But the pain seemed to intensify causing him to yell out and return to leaning against the rock. "I can still fight! It's my fate to win!"

"Face it," said Naruto as he landed on the ground between Neji and Hayate. "You lost. Just admit it and let the doctors heal you. You're done here."

"NO!" yelled Neji again. "You could never understand, NEVER! It's my fate to leave the branch family and join the main family!" Neji then began to look at Naruto, his eyes unfocused. "It's all your fault! If you weren't around this would never have happened!" With that, Neji forced his body to charge at Naruto. He had only taken five steps before Hayate appeared in front of him and punched him in the chest. With that, Neji fell backwards and passed out on the floor.

"When (cough) I say the match is over (cough) I mean it," said Hayate to Neji's form. He then looked at all the over genins. "This goes for (cough) the rest of you all (cough, cough) well. If any of you have a problem with my rulings (cough) then I'll be happy to take you out."

-x-

"Neji lost," said a Hyuuga elder in disbelief. "I-I don't believe it." Suddenly there was a crashing sound. Everyone look to the source, seeing a shattered tea cup and Hiashi's bleeding hand.

"Hiashi-sama," said another elder. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," said Hiashi darkly as he stared at Neji. "Just as soon as I take out some trash."

-x-

"What a blast!" yelled Koto as she began to twirl around. "Sorry boys, but at a punch party like this a girl can't help but dance. The third round goes to Naruto-san how has, for someone his age, a nice six pack. Now if only I could find age acceleration potion for him or a youth potion for me."

"But what happened to Neji back there?" asked Juri.

"My guess is that he must have had some kind of mental breakdown or something," said Koto. "Destroying ones beliefs tends to do that to a person. It looks like he'll have to seek both physical and mental help before is ready to return to his duties as a shinobi. And I think we can all safely say that Naruto-san has earned his title as the Kaze-shu."

"Whatever you say," said Juri. She then look at the screen and let out a sigh. "And it looks like the Kaze-shu already has some mistresses."

-x-

Naruto had floated over to where had had been standing with his team. As soon as he landed, Hinata went over to him and began to look at his right arm.

"It'll take a while for your chakra points to become unplugged," she said. The then took out a small jar and held it before Naruto. "But don't worry Naruto-kun; I have some healing salve that should help speed up the process." She was then about to start undo the cap when Anko took it from her.

"I'll do that," she said. "After all, he is my teammate." Hinata quickly took the jar back.

"It's no problem Anko," she said with a forced smile. "After all, I know more about this than you."

"Well maybe we don't need your silly little medicine," said Anko as she grabbed Naruto arm and pulled him over to her. "After all, he is a fast healer. Why don't you go and stand with your team."

"But I can't ignore someone who's injured," said Hinata as she grabbed Naruto's other arm and pulled him over to her. "Besides, it'll only take a moment."

"Ah, can I say something?" asked Naruto.

"No," said both Anko and Hinata at the same time.

"This is…odd," said Gaara as he watched a battle like none he had ever seen before. Personally, he didn't understand why they hadn't taken their weapons out by now.

"Really, you think so?" asked Haku who Gaara just realized he was standing next to. Quickly a blush appeared on his face.

_What the hell is she doing to me_, he wondered. _Is she controlling my heart and blood flow somehow? I'll have to ask Baki-sensei about this later!_

Next time will end the prelims!


	20. Chapter 20

Once again, sorry for the long awaited update. I was busy with my other stories which I had neglected for some time. BEMB: Path to Jonin is up, but not getting as many reviews as I had hoped. I also updated Tails of the Fox Sage and that to got fewer reviews than I had hoped for. But I know this chapter will get plenty of reviews. Right?

Naruto is finally getting some action in the battle against Pein. So far he has killed four for the six Peins and then one was brought back to life and then Naruto killed the resurrecting one. I am a bit disappointed in the improved or perfected Rasenshuriken, I just miss the whole millions of tinny cuts thing. But still, it's pretty cool. But the ones I gave him in Tails of the Fox Sage are better.

I was also saddened when I found out that Stargate Atlantis is over. At least the final episode was very, very good. Brining Atlantis to earth in a show down against a super Hive ship was amazing. I just wish that they had gone for my love satellite idea or celebrated a holiday. Oh well, now I guess I'll be watching Psych. Here's an idea for a show, there is a new angel of death that will soon be taking over the job. Until then, he has to fulfill the last wishes of the first person he is supposed to kill until it's her time. Just one problem: he doesn't know when she's supposed to die! Can he survive being a high school student while waiting for his first client to kick the bucket or will he decide to take an early retirement?

One last thing and it's about Bleach. I was just thinking about how the series should end. I think that Nel should go with Kenpachi and ride on his shoulder like Yachiru does. Or better yet, Ichigo is offered the position of Captain of Squad Five and Nel become his Lieutenant! What do you think?

Let's rock!

-x-

There was a commercial break after Naruto's match. It was clear to see why since Naruto had destroyed a wall and the floor was a mess. Stones stood upright like giant spikes and rubble covered nearly the entire floor. So while the examiners did their best to clean up the arena for the next fight, the station decided to have a small break.

During this time Iruka's classroom was given free time. Some, like Udon, were using this time to do homework or study. Others, like Moegi, were just chatting or coloring. Konohamaru was doing neither; he was just staring out the window as he wondered how he would be able to catch up with Naruto now. The match was awesome, he thought, but showed how far he had to go to in order to continue being Naruto's rival for Hokage. Suddenly there was a tug on his scarf that pulled his thoughts back into the real world. He turned around and saw Hanabi.

"I need your help with something," she whispered. "Just follow me and try not to get caught." With that, the Hyuuga girl slid out of her seat and began to crawl over towards the door while Iruka's back was turned. With a shrug Konohamaru decided to follow her since he had nothing better to do.

Once they were both out of the room, Hanabi lead them both up to the third floor. This was odd because the third floor didn't have anything. All it had were a couple of classrooms that were barley used and a couple of storage closets. But it also held one other room and it was the one that Hanabi stopped in front of. Konohamaru now stood in front of the records room, the holding place of all records about every student in the academies history. The room was locked, of course, and the only two people who had keys were the principle and the Hokage.

For Hanabi, this was the big moment to find out the truth. She had tried asking Iruka; however he said that if she wanted to know more about Hinata then she would have to ask her directly. That was something that Hanabi just wasn't ready to do just yet. Hinata looked too much like her mother. She was also afraid of her father's reaction. He had gone to all this trouble of hiding the truth from everyone so he had to have a reason. How would he react if he found out that his own daughter was trying to unearth what he had buried?

"Alright," said Hanabi as she turned around and held out her hand at Konohamaru. "Give me the key."

"W-What key?" asked Konohamaru as he began to sweat a bit. Hanabi narrowed her eyes and leaned closer.

"I know you have a copy of the Hokage's key that opens every door in here," she said. "And I know that you have it on you right now. Trust me, I know." As she said that last part, Hanabi activated her Byakugan for the added effect. And it worked perfectly.

"I feel so violated," said Konohamaru as he handed her the key. "Just don't go looking at me like that again!" Hanabi snorted as she unlocked the door.

"Like I'd want to do that again," she said with a shutter as she opened the door. One of the problems with having x-rays for eyes is control. Sometimes you can look through a person and sometimes, like this one, only see through their clothing.

There was nothing special about the room. No traps, no cameras, or anything that seemed to pose a threat. Just a bunch of filing cabinets that were collecting dust. Each one had a letter written on the top of each cabinet to help with the sorting. This made it easy for Hanabi to find the H cabinet while Konohamaru, who had nothing better to do, went to check out the U one.

Hanabi began to look through the files until she saw one with the family name whited out and leaving only the name Hinata on it. Hanabi took a deep breath before taking the file out and opening it. Her pale eyes widened immediately. The parent's names had been completely whited out. This was shocking because no one was allowed to alter these documents without prior permission from the entire council. Normally it was when a student from a high ranking gamily had done something wrong and the family wished that there be no records of the incident. Hanabi had to wonder what was going on.

"OH MY KAMI!" yelled Konohamaru.

"What is it?' asked Hanabi quickly as she turned towards her partner in crime.

"Look," he said as he held up a picture he found in the Uzumaki file. The picture was that of a young girl with red hair wearing an orange and black jumpsuit with the sleeves missing. She was giving the camera a big, stupid grin while making the V for victory symbol. Hanabi blinked at first, thinking that it was a boy until she noticed that this girl was a bit more matured than other girls her age.

"So what am I looking at exactly?" asked Hanabi.

"Boss has a sister," said Konohamaru. "I found this in his file."

"Baka," scolded Hanabi. "Just look at that picture, it's so old it's starting to fade. Now keep quite before we get caught!"

"Too late," said Iruka as he appeared at the doorway. They both turned to face him and saw that he had several tick marks on his face. "Both of you get back to the classroom. We'll talk about your punishment later!" With their heads lowered, the two of them handed what they had found to Iruka and went back to the classroom.

When the two of them got back to the classroom they saw that the matches had already started up again and had been going on for a while. Time really flies when you're committing crimes!

-x-

"For those of you who blinked, Rock Lee has just defeated Akimichi Choji with a single kick," said Koto in a bored tone. "It seems like after Uzumaki-san's match all the other matches have been…less than epic."

"Well it is kind of hard to compete against a guy who can destroy a wall with a single punch," said Juri. "Besides, there was the match between Temari and Tenten. Or what about when Nara Shikamaru defeated Kinuta Dosu?"

"Not enough blood in either one," said Koto with another bored sigh. "I thought that Tsurugi Misumi might have been able to put up more of a fight against Kankuro-san, but I was wrong. And the fight between Akado Yoroi and Aburame Shino was pointless. But I guess that Konoha is happy that Shino-san won. And neither of those fights had any blood in them. What's a girl got to do to get some blood?"

"Up next we have Mitarashi Anko against Inuzuka Kiba," said Juri as she made a bit of distance between her and her blood crazy partner. "Sadly for Anko-chan, it looks like this will be a hard fight to win seeming that that Inuzuka clan always fights with their canine partners. Not to mention that his stats are incredibly high."

"Should we add this to the list of other predictions that you got wrong?" asked Koto with an evil smirk.

-x-

"Alright!" yelled Kiba as he jumped down to the arena floor. "This'll be easy, right Akamaru?" The small dog on his head barked in agreement.

"What makes you say that?" asked Anko as she appeared right in front of him.

"Because guys are stronger than girls," said Kiba out of pure stupidity. He immediately regretted it as he felt all of the women's killer intent focused on him. Kin had pulled out her scythe and was glaring at him with hate in her eyes. Temari looked like she was ready to through her fan at him. Hinata and Kurenai looked most…ah, let's skip over them because they are just too pissed for words. Even Koto and Juri looked angry and they weren't even fighters! Akamaru buried his face with his paws in an attempt to hide from the women's anger.

"Kick his ass Anko-chan!" cheered Naruto.

"I know I shouldn't be doing this but you can do it Anko," cheered Hinata. Kiba spun around and looked at Hinata in confusion.

"But I'M your teammate!" he shouted as he pointed at her. "You should be cheering for me!"

"Why would she do that after you make a comment like the one you did?" asked Anko with a deadpanned expression. Kiba just turned around to face Anko once again.

"Fine then," he said. "I'll just have to prove it when I beat you to the ground!" He would have said more, but Hayate moved to stand in between them.

"Alright," said Hayate. "(cough)Hajime!"

"Hey Akamaru," said Kiba with a grin. "Why don't you lie down for a moment? I can handle her by myself!" Akamaru nodded and jumped to the ground. The dog then walked until he was far enough away so he wouldn't be in the way, walked in a circle, and then laid on the ground.

"I don't need any favors asshole," said Anko as an eyebrow twitched. "Believe me when I say that underestimating me will be a big mistake!"

"Let's see if that's true," said Kiba with a feral grin. He then made several hand signs and yelled out, "**Shikyaku no Jutsu!**" As soon as he said that, Kiba shifted into a quadrupedal stance as his fangs and nails became longer and pointed causing him to resemble a feral beast. Kiba then shot at Anko who pumped some extra chakra into her legs so that she could jump up to avoid the attack. Kiba saw this and reacted quickly to stop and jump into the air after her. That's when he noticed Anko reach for the bindings that were tied to her waist. He then saw her reach for what looked like the handle of a sword that was hidden by her jacket and pulled on it. Instantly her Urumi unraveled and lashed out at Kiba. Kiba managed to twist his body in mid air to avoid the attack and his target as well. He landed on all fours and then dodged left to avoid being pierced from above.

Anko landed on the ground a moment latter and didn't let up her own assault. Once again she lashed out at Kiba who moved to his right this time. He thought he had nothing to worry about until he heard Akamaru warn him that the blade was coming back. Kiba looked behind him and saw that the blade had twisted like a snake to come at him once again, only this time from behind! Kiba once again dodged the attack but only by a very narrow margin.

"It looks like I'll have to get serious now," said Kiba as he got up and reached into his pocket. He then pulled out a soldier pill and tossed it to Akamaru who ate it. A moment later the dog turned a dark red color and then jumped onto his masters back. "**Jūjin Bunshin!**" he yelled as Akamaru vanished in a cloud of smoke just to emerge as another Kiba.

"Great," said Anko with a sigh. "Now I have to look at two ugly mugs. At least you could have changed him to look a bit better."

"Joke all you want," replied Kiba. "Let's see how you do against this. **Shikyaku no Jutsu!**" Now both Kiba's charged at Anko who once against lashed out at them. But this time they were ready and avoided the attack with ease and still managed to plow into Anko, sending her crashing into a wall. Anko managed to get back to her feet and whipped the blood from her face before having to dodge the double assault once again.

'Shit', thought Anko as she continued to dodge the attacks. 'They're moving too fast for me to hit with my sword and I doubt I can trick them again with its features.'

"Now prepare for our ultimate attack!" roared Kiba as he and Akamaru began to spin around. "**Gatsūga!**" Kiba and his partner then became like drills spinning in the air so fast that no one could see them. All Anko could see were the dirt and other material spinning around and around until they both hit her, one from in front and one from behind. Anko then fell to the ground while the two Kiba's landed on their feet. "Looks like I was a little too rough on you. You may have been one of the strongest and scariest girls back at the academy, but that was then and this is now. I bet you can't even stand up right now."

"Shut up," snarled Anko as she got on her hands and knees.

"Excuse me?" asked Kiba with a laugh.

"You heard me," said Anko as she slowly got back on her feet. She swayed for a moment and then looked at Kiba with the scariest look she could give. "I said shut up. I've heard enough of your barking and I have to listen to it anymore I'll make sure you get neutered."

"Whatever," said Kiba as he turned to the ref. "Just call the match already. She can barely stand up anymore."

"I'll call (cough) it when I decide (cough) to," replied Hayate. Kiba shook his head.

"Looks like I'll have to beat you down some more," he said. "**Gatsūga!**" Once again the twin drill came at Anko who stood her ground as she made several hand signs. She then took a deep breath and yelled, "**Dokugiri!**" as a purple fog came out of her mouth. Both the Kiba's past through it and when they came out of it missed Anko and landed on the ground. Akamaru returned to his original form and began to cough violently along with his master. Kiba looked red faced and was sweating, like he had a fever or something. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't as he was coughing too much.

"In case you're wondering what happened," said Anko as she began to breathe hard. "You just flew into a cloud of poison. Just be glad that you were only in there of a second and inhaled the little that you did. Had you stayed longer, you wouldn't be able to give me that nasty look right now. But then again, your face does look a little nasty no matter what."

"I declare Mitarashi (cough) Anko the winner," declared Hayate as medics burst into the scene.

-x-

"Alright," yelled Juri. "Go girl power!"

"Well we can all agree that that match was defiantly more exciting than some of the others we have had to endure," said Koto. "Wish Anko-chan had bloodied up Kiba-san a bit but the poison was a nice touch. And now we have only three contestants remaining. Who will be the next pair to fight? And what will happen to the last chunin hopeful? Will he get a free pass or will he have to fight someone who has already fought?"

"And the next pair has been decided," said Juri. "Up next we have Sechs vs. Gaara!"

-x-

"This is it!" yelled Sechs as he turned towards Naruto. "I'm glad we didn't fight in the prelims. I want the honor of defeating you in the finals. It'll be a much grander stage and we can both go all out!"

"That's fine with me," said Naruto with a grin. "And I'll be glad to kick your sorry ass once again!"

"Oh yeah?!" demanded Sechs as he got in Naruto's face.

"Yeah!" said Naruto as he did the same.

"Your (cough) opponent is waiting," said Hayate. Both Sechs and Naruto turned to look at the arena floor and saw that Gaara was waiting on the ground with his arms folded.

"Alright," said Sechs as he jumped over the railing. As soon as he landed, Sechs whipped out the Titan Blade and took his stance. Gaara said nothing nor did he move. Yet, there was movement on his gourd as the cork seemed to pop out all on its own.

"Well you both seem ready," said Hayate. "Hajime!"

"I'll end this quickly," said Sechs as he charged at Gaara. "**Sechster Angriff!**" With that, Sechs leapt into the air and began his series of twists and turns with his body and his blade as he shot towards Gaara. But as soon as the blade was several feet from Gaara the red haired nins sand erupted out of his gourd and moved to block the blade. Sechs, who kept a firm grip on the Titan Blades handle, twisted his body so he could give Gaara a spinning kick. Once again the sand blocked the attack. Not seeing any other options, Sechs landed on the ground and pulled back to create some distance between the two.

"I'm waiting," said Gaara with the same bored look. Sechs then seemed to vanish and then appeared behind him ready to strike. The speed was impressive but not fast enough as the sand moved to block the attack. Sechs jumped up and tried to get an aerial assault in, however the sand grabbed the Titan Blade and flung Sechs away like he was a toy. Sechs landed on his feet and skidded a bit while not taking his eyes off his enemy.

"Bastard hasn't moved an inch," said Sechs in a low voice. "I tried to see if that sand defense and any weak point or time lag or anything. But it was all automatic and moves faster than me. And he hasn't done any hand signs that I've seen." Sechs then grinned, causing Gaara's eye's to widen for a moment. "This'll be fun!"

"Baka," said Gaara calmly. "You will meet the same fate as all the others who have faced me. Death." He then heard a gasp and turned to look at that person. His eyes widened when he saw Haku with her hands over her mouth. A feeling of dread filled him like nothing he had ever felt before. He began to wonder if she hated him now and why he cared if she liked him or not. Thoughts in his head became more and more confusing to him until he grabbed his own head.

Sechs watched as Gaara had his internal mental battle while wondering what the hell was going on with him. Gaara was looking away from his opponent and staring at some girl with black hair and chocolate colored eyes. 'OK,' thought Sechs. 'I better do something and fast before the sandman remembers that I'm still here.' With that said, or at least thought, Sechs began to spin the Titan Blade in front of him until it was just a blur. "**Burakku Tatsumaki!"** he yelled as a black mass of air shaped like a drill came rushing at Gaara. Gaara's head snapped back at Sechs just a moment before the sand blocked the air mass that had been flying towards him. However, the power in that attack was great and so more sand was needed to completely block it all.

"Surprise!" said Sechs, causing Gaara's eyes to widen even more than before. Sechs was behind him and the Burakku Tatsumaki was just now starting to fade. Without saying another word, Sechs slashed at Gaara's left side with enough force that Sechs believed that he could have sliced through him. Instead, Gaara went flying to the side until his sand caught up with him and then gently set him on the ground. "What the hell?" yelled Sechs as he pointed at Gaara. "I had it all figured out. Keep your sand distracted and then attack you. And why aren't you even bleeding?" It was then that Sechs noticed that the area where he had attacked was all cracked and slowly repairing itself.

"This is my absolute defense," said Gaara calmly. "Even if you get past my primary defense, Suna no Tate, you still have to get past my Suna no Yoroi. I will say this; I had to use even more chakra than normal in order to keep it from completely breaking. You have come closer to harming me than anyone else."

"Gee, what an honor," spat Sechs as he began to the Titan Blade once again. "But I won't lose to some coward who relies completely on defense! **Kakijiten!**" Like when he fought against Naruto, the Titan Blade seemed to catch on fire and due to the fact that it was still spinning it looked like a flaming disk. Sechs charged at Gaara and began to slash at him over and over again. Each time Gaara's sand moved to block it and was melted by the flames. It was only a little at a time, but eventually Gaara had no more sand left.

Sechs was now panting in front of Gaara who seemed to be unconcerned. The flames on the Titan Blade were gone due to a lack of chakra. Sechs gritted his teeth as he stared back at his seemingly uncaring opponent. 'This punk still thinks he can win,' he thought. 'He's out of his mind! His body looks extremely frail, probably due to that defense of his. I doubt this coward can even take a real blow!'

"Now die!" shouted Sechs as he lunged at Gaara. Then, something happened that changed everything. The gourd on Gaara's back seemed to explode as Gaara yelled out "**Sabaku Kyū!**" and then the sand shot at Sechs's grabbing his right arm. Sechs quickly moved the Titan Blade to his left hand before the sand completely stopped him and covered his entire arm.

"Pathetic," said Gaara calmly with an arm raised and palm open. "Now I will make you pay for trying to erase my existence. **Sabaku Sōsō!**" The sand was about to start to implode when Sechs did something no one expected. Using his left arm he moved the Titan Blade and cut off his entire right arm before the sand imploded it. Blood poured from the wound and Sechs was screaming in pain. But, there was still an insane grin on his face! "Why did you do that?" It was all Gaara could think of to say.

"I'd rather cut… my own arm off… than let you do anything… with it," panted Sechs. He then dropped the Titan Blade and began to hold his wound. Gaara just stood there for a moment and stared at Sechs. He thought about killing him, but he could still feel Haku's eyes on him. It felt like he was being judged by her or something. He didn't know what to make of these feelings. So, with a sigh, Gaara did something that made his siblings gasp. Gaara had turned away from an opponent without killing him.

"Winner of this (cough) match is Gaara," said Hayate.

"Wait," groaned Sechs. Hayate looked at Sechs and shook his head.

"Sorry, but you (cough) can't go on (cough) anymore," said Hayate. "You literally (cough, cough) did this to yourself."

"I know," said Sechs weakly as he looked at his severed and crushed arm. "I just want him to kill me. I've lost and will never be able to be an effective shinobi with this one good arm. That arm is useless now. So please, just kill me." Sechs closed his eye and waited for a blow of some kind. He heard several voices just before someone grabbed his shirt and yanked him up. Sechs opened his eye and saw it was Naruto.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" demanded Naruto. "Didn't you tell me that you would keep coming after me as long as you lived? Where is that determination now?"

"You little…" snarled Sechs.

"So what if you only got one arm," said Naruto as he pulled Sechs closer to him. "You can still make a fist and punch people. And you still have legs to kick with and a head to head but with. But I guess you're too stupid to…" Naruto was unable to finish due to Sechs following Naruto's advise and giving the blond a head but.

"Asshole," swore Sechs as he fell back to the ground. But somehow his energy seemed to be returning even with the heavy blood loss. "You couldn't let me have my moment. When I get back from the hospital I'll make sure that they have a bed…waiting…for…you." With that, Sechs passed out and was then moved onto a stretcher.

"Damn it," swore Naruto as he rubbed his head. "I can't believe he still made time to threaten me before he passed out. Looks like I'll just have to pay him back later."

"Later," said Hayate. "Oh and thanks (cough) for volunteering for (cough) the final match."

"NANI?" yelled Naruto as his eyes became dish plates.

-x-

"Here we are," announced Koto. "My number one favorite, Uzumaki Naruto, will be fighting for a second time in the prelims against Abumi Zaku. But before all of you go placing those bets, it seems like the Hokage has decided that Naruto-kun will not be able to use his Sempuken. Apparently, they don't want the building to collapse on them. Cowards!"

"This'll be a great disadvantage to him seeing how much he relied on it during his first fight," said Juri. "I bet it must use a lot of chakra."

-x-

Zaku stood in front of Naruto with both arms in a sling. Yet he had a smug look on his face. After hearing the new rules that the Hokage had made just for this match, Zaku felt sure he could win. Especially since he had a little surprise ready just for his match.

"Hajime!" yelled Hayate.

Zaku sprung into action as soon as he heard that. In half a second he had pulled out both his arms out of the sling and yelled "**Zankūha!**" sending a supersonic burst of air flying at our hero. The attack seemed to hit him and smoke filled the room. When it cleared, Naruto was nowhere to be found. Zaku looked left and right while holding his arms in front of him so he could use his attack again.

Imagine his surprise when Naruto seemed to fall out of the sky and land right between his arms. Naruto then grabbed both arms with his hand and held on tightly.

"How the hell did you survive?" demanded Zaku.

"Please, I could see that attack coming a mile away," said Naruto with a smirk. "In order for you to use that attack you have to keep your arms straight and facing your target. And you were so far away that it gave me plenty of time to create a Kage Bunshin and then use Kawarimi no Jutsu."

"That's all very impressive," said Zaku with a smirk. "But you are overlooking something. True, I can't attack you like this but neither can you. And once you let go of my arms I'll use all my power to turn you into dust!" At that, Naruto smirked. "What are you smiling about?"

"I think you're the one who's overlooking something," replied Naruto. With that, Naruto began to focus hard to use what he learned during his wind manipulation training. And before Zaku knew what hit him, Naruto had cut off both of his arms with pure nature manipulation.

"Winner: Naruto," said Hayate over the screams of Zaku.

-x-

Well, that's it for this time. Who will be facing who in the final matches? How will they be spending their time? Will Kakashi actually train Naruto and Anko? What will happen to Sechs? Review or I won't tell you!


	21. Chapter 21

OK, I'll admit that I rushed the ending in the last chapter. But I had to get to class! And after writing ten pages in one day, I was tired! Hopefully this chapter will reveal some things that you will all enjoy.

I can't believe that Naruto got captured and is now having his chakra sucked up. Right now I can only see three things happening next. One is Pein leaving the village now that he has wheat he came for followed. Two is that we see some Kyuubi chakra again. Three is that Hinata rushes over to help Naruto since she is so close until those two old toads can use their genjutsu. I was kind of hoping Naruto would have changed into a girl just for the laughs. Just imagine Pein's reaction to seeing a naked girl flying towards him!

Let's rock!

-x-

The room was silent as the de-armed oto-nin was taken out of the room. Everyone except for Hinata, Anko, and Haku kept a watchful eye on Naruto. While it had been a stunning display of skill for the two other wind users in the room, it made everyone else kind of freak out. Kurenai was left wondering what Kakashi had done to make Naruto improve so much. Asuma was simply impressed that Naruto could do something at that level for his age. Gai was shedding tears of joyful youth at how Naruto had helped a foreign shinobi. And let us all be glad that he didn't ask Naruto about how he got his skills because if Naruto had Gai would have begun to shout about how youthful Naruto was. All the other genins, except for Temari and Gaara, were just freaked out.

-x-

Back at the station, Koto had a look of utter bliss on her face. It was hard to describe. Her eyes had a dreamy look to them and there was drool coming out of her mouth. If having your favorite meal was a one and doing 'it' is a ten then this would be a nine point nine.

"Ah Koto-chan," said Juri nervously. "You're starting to scare me!"

-x-

Now all of the genins were lined up in front of the elder Hokage and several of the examiners. The old man was proud to see so many Konoha-nins advance to the final round. This would show the strength of their village not only to their clients, but to the rest of the village as well. And it did his heart some good to see that Naruto and Anko were two of them.

"You have all done well," said Sarutobi after a moment. "Now that we have all seen how you fair when you have no idea what your enemies are capable of, we would like to see how you respond when you know what they can do. In one month's time all of the appropriate parties will be contacted and given time so that they can reach the village to watch you in the final round of the exam. You may use this time to prepare however you see fit. If you wish to sit back and relax, that is your choice. If you wish to train to better prepare yourself for your opponents, you may do so. If fact, I would highly recommend it!

"The format of the final exam will be similar to what you just went through. The exam will take the form of a tournament. However, that doesn't mean that there will be one winner. In fact, even if you lose in the first round you might be promoted. We will be watching you fight to see if you have the qualities that make a chunin. The more you fight the more chances you have to show that you have those skills. Now we will be handing out ballets in order to…"

"Hold on one second," came a man's voice from the back. Everyone turned around and saw a small black cat enter the room. The cat then vanished only to reappear on the Hokages shoulder. The cat then whispered in his ear causing Sarutobi's eyes to widen in shock.

"I'm afraid something has come up," said the Hokage as he cleared his throat. "Once we come to a decision on the matter we will contact you with the lineup. Please expect it to come in at least three days from now. Yoruichi-san will escort you all back to the village quickly so you can begin making preparations. With that, he and the rest of the examiners vanished from the room.

-x-

"You heard it from the Hokage himself ladies and gentlemen," said Koto as she got back into her grove. "In three days we will have a line up for the chunin exam. This is going to be a bloodbath for sure!"

"Please don't get to excited," said Juri as she sweat dropped. "As for us, we will be making our way there to cover the fights live and give you live interviews with the contestants. However, these fights won't be free and you will have to order it. Sorry."

Jiraiya let a grin slip as he got up off his seat. He knew that Orochimaru had plans for that village. In fact, he was going there to help stop whatever his old teammate was planning. But now he had another reason: to start training his godchild. This was going to be exciting, that was for sure.

-x-

"If you will please follow me," said Yoruichi as the cat motioned them to follow.

"Hold on," said Kankuro. "Shouldn't we have a real guide or something? I mean, you're just a cat!" At that, Yoruichi chuckled and let out an evil smile. Hinata shook her head to tell Yoruichi no, but it was too late.

"I see," said the cat. "Well my dear little genin, I guess I had better show you my true form then." Yoruichi's body began to glow and smoke began to circle the cat's body as it began to change into a more human one. The black fur turned into tanned skin and purple hair appeared on the head. And then, it was done and several of the guys had major nose bleeds as they stared at the naked form of Yoruichi. "I just love seeing the way people react when I reveal my true form. They always except I'm a guy because of the deep voice."

"They're not reacting that way because they thought you were a man," said Hinata. "It's because you're naked!"

"But clothing is just…confining," said Yoruichi with a pout. Naruto and Anko just smirked as they tried not to laugh at their friend's embarrassment.

-x-

"Here I am," announced Sarutobi as he entered the council's chambers. He moved quickly into his seat and sat in between Homaru and Koharu. As he sat, be pulled out his pipe and lit it. The rest of the council, which was made of several of the founding clans and several civilians, sat down. "I have just been made aware that Orochimaru has left us a message about the chunin exam."

"Hai," said a civilian councilman. "One of this village's jonin was found dead just a short while ago. A message was carved on his back and the body was laid out near training area 44. The message demands that Uchiha Sasuke be allowed to compete in the final round of the exam and to go against Gaara first or else he will destroy the village."

"We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied like this," said Hiashi. "Right now the entire shinobi world is watching us and on live television! If we do as he says then the world will see our weakness and we will lose face."

"Better to lose face than to lose lives," said Nara Shikaku lazily. "At least that's the way I see it. Look at it this way, if we say no than he will attack. But if we go along with it Orochimaru might keep his word. I know it's not very likely, but we should do everything in our power to avoid a conflict like this one."

"Coward," growled a Haruno. "You're only saying that because your son made it to the final part of the exam." At that, Shikaku blinked.

"He's in the chunin exam?" he asked causing everyone to face fault. How could any father be that clueless?

"Both sides have merit," said the Hokage as he took a drag. "I too wish not to show any weakness at such a critical time. However, we know what kind of man he is. He has been planning this for a while now and is being very careful with his plans. All we know is that they involve Uchiha Sasuke in some way. The mark on his neck is proof of that."

"I agree with Sarutobi on this," said Homaru. "We shall have to allow Uchiha Sasuke to compete in the final exam."

"We could tell the public that an outside party interfered with the exam," said Koharu with a nod. "We needn't give out the details and give a perfect excuse to allow the Uchiha to compete."

"Now wait just a moment," said Sarutobi. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. There are still other factors to consider. We should talk to our allies in Suna about this as well. They have a right to know what is going on since Orochimaru wants one of their shinobi to fight Sasuke."

"I agree with Hokage-sama," said Danzo shocking everyone. No one thought they would live to see the day when either one would agree with each other. Hell must have frozen over! He then stood up and turned to face Sarutobi who stared back. "Since we are dealing with Orochimaru and his Oto-nins, we will need not only superior strength but numbers as well. After we take out Orochimaru and whatever forces he plans on using against us, the two of us will be able to destroy his village and divide the land up equally between our two villages. At least for now."

"Once again we are getting ahead of ourselves," said Sarutobi. "We will send out a message to Suna to inform them of the situation and then wait for a reply. Once we have received one we will make our final decision on the matter and go from there. Until then we are to act like nothing is wrong as to not alert the public. However, I think we shoulder schedule a few emergence evacuation drills just to be on the safe side. Meeting adjourned. Oh and Hiashi, could you stay behind for a moment."

With that, all members of the council got up and left the room until it was just Hiashi and Sarutobi. The Hokage calmly took a drag as Hiashi waited impatiently for the old man to say what he wanted. He was a busy man with things to do. Finally, the head of the Hyuuga family spoke.

"What do you wish to talk about Hokage-sama?' asked Hiashi in a respectful tone.

"Something has been troubling me," said Sarutobi calmly as he blew a ring of smoke into the air. "Neji seemed to think that he had a chance of leaving the branch family. Why is that?"

"Clan matters," said Hiashi. "I will admit that we had a talk before the start of the exam. I had told him that if he did well then I would look into having him placed within the main house. However, he did not live up to my expectations as he clearly lost in the preliminary round."

"I see," said Sarutobi. "That is very generous of you. Very unlike you as well." With that, Sarutobi took another drag. "Yes, very unlike you. Well please be aware that I will be keeping an eye on Neji for a bit. Some of the things he said made me think that there was something…more going on. And he had better be in good condition to help fight Oto when the time comes. We will need every able body available so I don't need you causing him unnecessary harm with that seal of yours."

Hiashi gritted his teeth for a moment. The Hokage was beginning to suspect something. But at the moment all he had were his suspicions and no time to really check up on them. And for that, Hiashi was thankful for Orochimaru. All Hiashi could do now was to lie low until this blew over. That or the old fool died.

"Very well," said Hiashi as he fought hard to stay calm. "Let us hope that he recovers quickly."

-x-

"Damn this bed is itchy," whined Sechs. It was the next morning and Sechs had been patched up and given a blood transfusion. He had to admit that the medics of this village were pretty good at what they did. They were able to do their job quickly which was essential in the shinobi world were you had to get back onto your feet quickly. Plus, all be had lost was his arm. He just wished they used a different fabric softener when they did the laundry.

"It could be worse," said Naruto. Sechs turned his head over to the side and saw Naruto sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"When did you get here?" demanded Sechs.

"A little while ago," said Naruto. "The twins are right now trying on nurses outfits so I let myself in." Sechs grunted.

"Well that's just perfect," said Sechs. "If this were a mission I would be dead right now." He paused for a moment, as if to think about what he was going to say next. "Listen Kaze-shu, don't you dare lose from here on out. As soon as I get back on my feet I'm going to restart my training so I can function with only one arm. And when I'm done we are going to have that rematch."

"Hai, hai," said Naruto as he waved it off like it was nothing. But it did feel nice to have a rival like Sechs. In some ways they were so much alike. They trained hard in order to prove themselves and believed that the only real way to fight was head on regardless of what others thought. In the back of Naruto's mind he was sure that if they had been born in the same village they would have been friends.

"Don't wave me off like that damn it," swore Sechs. "Listen, I'll only say this once. You're…"

"We're back!" yelled Elf and Zwölf. They were both wearing white nurses outfits and were carrying a large about of medicine and needles. "Time to play doctor!"

"What the hell?!" shouted Sechs. "I was about to say something really profound and you two had to ruin the moment! And this isn't a game you numb skulls! Just what is wrong with you two?!"

"Sechs, you shouldn't yell in a hospital," said a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned and saw a person that they all knew every well.

"Hanzo-sama/ojiisan," said Sechs, Elf, Zwölf, and Naruto respectively. The leader of Ame nodded as he walked towards the bed and then stared down at Sechs.

"I saw your fight," he said after a moment. "Well done considering who you went up against. And you saved yourself some time as well. The doctors have informed me that your arm was crushed so badly that they would have had to remove it anyways. So that leaves us with a bit of a problem now doesn't it? Are you still willing to be a shinobi?"

"What kind of lame ass question is that?" said Sechs. "I won't quit until I have beaten down both the Kaze-shu and you Hanzo-sama!" Hanzo chuckled.

"It seems that Naruto-kun has rubbed off on you," said Hanzo. He then turned towards Naruto. "Thank you for setting this dead beat straight. Now he has a clear understanding as to why we push the younger generation so much. And you yourself have proven me right when I said you would be a great shinobi. I am proud of you Naruto-kun."

"Thanks," replied Naruto with a grin. He was then about to say something when voices in the next room caught the attention of everyone.

"So girls are weak," yelled Hana followed by several sounds that sounded like smacking. "BAKA!"

"I think it's time you learned the very same lesson I gave your father years ago," said Tsume as she cracked her knuckles. "Believe me; you'll be better for it."

And when Naruto turned around, Hanzo and the rest of the Ame-nins were gone.

-x-

Later in the day, Sechs found himself back at Ame. Somehow Hanzo had brought them there so fast he had thought they had teleported. Hanzo merely stated that it wasn't him but his salamanders that were to thank for their speedy return. Now, he was in a lab with Hanzo and several other scientists who were preparing all sorts of devices. Sechs felt like the only light in the room was the one on him as he lay there on the table.

"I hope you enjoy this," said Hanzo. "You are going to be used to test the first prototype."

"First prototype of what?" demanded Sechs. Hanzo moved to the side to reveal that he had been standing in front of a case holding a robotic arm. It seemed a bit bulky and the area from the hand to the elbow seemed to be a bit larger than the rest like it could hold something.

"This is something I have had our research team look into for some time now," said Hanzo. "In Suna, some of their puppet masters can replace lost limbs with wooden ones and used them as if they were the real thing. Well I have something better in mind. We technology in this village is more advanced than any other village in the shinobi world and it is time we showed them that with this: the Solenoid Quench Gun arm!"

"Indeed," said a scientist as he came into the light. "This little beauty will be attached to your nervous system so you can control it like it was the real thing and it will be powered by your own chakra. It will also store chakra so that you may fire it in the arms transformed state or use it if you run out of chakra yourself as an emergency option. It also has a special scroll department so you can use fire the water that is in the scroll with enough power to cut through steel."

"Any draw backs?" asked Sechs.

"A few," admitted the scientist. "If you use all the chakra stored in the arm then it will stop functioning until its power has been restored. Also, it takes time in between firing sequences so you can't fire repeatedly. Lastly, it takes about thirty seconds to transform the arm from gun mode and back again. I have it all lined out in this manual."

"Do you want this Sechs?" asked Hanzo. Sechs just grinned.

"Do you have to ask such a stupid question?" he replied.

-x-

At the same time, Naruto and Hinata were walking through town. They hadn't seen Anko all day and they got worried. When someone like Anko just vanishes off the radar you can't help but worry. They had checked every store that sold dango and every training field in the village and still found nothing. Now they were back in the market area and it was getting dark which made Naruto worry even more about his first real friend.

"Ano, I'd better be getting back home," said Hinata. "Yoruichi-neesan has been worried lately and that's never a good thing."

"I guess," said Naruto as he leaned against a wall. "I'll keep looking anyways." However, Hinata didn't move. "Is something up Hinata-chan?"

"Well kind of," admitted Hinata. "You see, we might have to fight each other in the final exam. I'm just worried that…well you know."

"That we might go a little too far in our fights?" supplied Naruto.

"Sort of," said Hinata. "I mean what if we really hurt each other or do something that ruins our friendship." Naruto blinked at that.

"You know," he said, "that never accrued to me. But I think we'll be alright. All we're going to do is show everyone what we're really made of. As long as we fight to show everyone what we are really like, I'm not worried at all." Hinata nodded and then took a deep breath. She then moved over to Naruto and did something that seemed to stop time itself. She kissed him on the lips. Naruto's eyes opened wide in complete surprise. He had no clue why she was doing this all of a sudden! And then it was over and Hinata took several steps back.

"I just wanted to do that before the finals start," she said quickly. "Also, please don't hold back." So many ways that could be interpreted. And before Naruto could blink, Hinata used shunpo and vanished out of the area. All Naruto could do was look up at the sky's, bring a hand up to touch his lips, and wonder if she liked him or something.

Hinata reappeared a few block away and seemed to be in a very good mood. She had finally shown Naruto how she felt about him. If she were to die right now, she would die the happiest girl in the world! The only thing that could make her happier would be if Naruto had kissed back. But that could wait for another day. Right now she had to get home.

As Hinata walked down the street to get to her home, Hanabi was following her from a distance. Today was going to be the day when she would get answers right from the source. In truth, she had not planned on it. However, when she saw Hinata just appear a few yards in front of her she decided that it was a sign from the gods themselves. Hanabi decided to follow this girl to her home and confront her there.

Suddenly, Hanabi saw Hinata turn down an alleyway. She, in turn, followed her down until Hinata stopped at a dead end. Then, Hinata spoke up.

"What do you want with me Hyuuga-sama?" asked Hinata in a calm voice without turning around. Hanabi started to take a step back but stopped herself. She couldn't back down now.

"I have some questions for you," said Hanabi in the toughest voice she could muster. "I want to know who you really are! Why do you look like my kaa-san? Why are all the records of you deleted from the clan and the school? Tell me!"

And with that, Hinata slowly turned around. Hanabi felt her strength crumble as she looked into that face, the face that so much resembled her mother's soft features. The look in Hinata's eyes seemed like she was sad for some reason yet held it back. And for a moment, no one said anything as they stood in that alleyway full of trash.

"Are you sure you want to know?" asked Hinata. "You might not like what you hear."

"I have to know," said Hanabi. Hinata sighed.

"This goes back to when the war against Kumogakure ended and they sent a representative to work out the peace treaty," said Hinata. Hanabi nodded.

"I know all about that," she said. "They used it to try and capture a main branch member, but tou-san caught him and killed him. After that, they demanded his head but instead my uncle was sent to them. What does that have to do with anything?" Then, something clicked inside Hanabi's head. "You were that child, weren't you?"

"Hai," replied Hinata. "That was when you're tou-san started to despise me. He blamed me for the death of his brother. He claimed that if I hadn't been so weak as to get kidnapped in the first place, then he would still be here today. Even Neji blamed me." Now tears were rolling down Hinata's eyes. The happiness she had felt just a short while ago was completely gone now. All of her painful memories that she thought were gone were now hitting her like flood water.

"But it wasn't your fault," insisted Hanabi. "How could it have been? You were just a child!"

"I know," said Hinata. "But that didn't matter. In his eyes, I was nothing short of a total failure. And as soon as you were born, he didn't hesitate to throw me out." Now Hanabi began to sweat a little and took a step back.

"Wait," she said nervously. "Why does my birth have anything to do with it?"

"Did you ever wonder how your tou-san was able to get to the Kumo-nin so quickly?" asked Hinata. "How he could have sensed that a Hyuuga child was being abducted? How he killed him without any hesitation?"

Hanabi's eyes widened. She slowly began to shake her head no. Wordlessly, Hinata nodded yes as if to answer some unspoken question. And when Hanabi saw that, she felt her legs give out on her and she fell onto the palms of her hands as everything began to click. Hinata was her older sister. Her father believed her to be nothing more than a shame upon the clan and got rid of her as soon as he had another heir. That's all Hanabi was, a replacement! With that, Hanabi got up and ran away from her sister who was left alone to cry.

-x-

At the same time, Naruto had made his way back to his apartment while still thinking of that kiss. _Sure we're close_, thought Naruto. _And I do like her a lot. But I never thought of her in that way. Sure she's cute, smart, and we both like plants…oh no, I can't start thinking like this! I bet that was just a good luck kiss or something. Yeah, that has to be it!_ Naruto then stopped at his doorway to find Anko leaning against it.

"I've been waiting," she said.

"And I've been out with Hinata looking for you," he said. "I was worried!"

"Oh," said Anko as she looked upward. "I wonder if that would be considered a date?"

"Nani?" asked Naruto quietly. Anko just shook her head and turned to look at Naruto.

"Nothing, forget I said anything," she said with a smile. "Listen, I'm going to be training by myself for awhile. So I thought I'd come by to tell you, but no one was home. So I just…waited."

"Oh, well Haku-itoko is out gathering herbs and stuff so won't be back till the morning," said Naruto. Then he shivered. "Said something about making a special meal and smiled. Creeps me out when she does that." Anko let out a laugh at her friend's misfortune. "But you could have just left a note or something."

"Well, I wanted to tell you something else and I wanted to do it face to face," she said. And once again, Naruto was caught off guard as Anko closed the gap and kissed him on the lips. Naruto could feel her arms snake around his body and hold him tightly as he stood like a deer in head lights. Then, when the kiss ended, Anko looked at him face to face. "I wanted to let you know that I love you." And with that she let go and ran away from the blond who was still standing there like a statue.

-x-

Hope you all liked it. Now review!


	22. Chapter 22

Well, I said that Hinata might try to save Naruto and I was right. She even confessed how she felt about him. Sadly, there is a possibility that she is now dead. Personally, I hope that she's not. And now Naruto is using six of the nine tails. If four tails nearly killed Jiraiya, then Pein is in deep shit right now. Hopefully, someone can get to Hinata before it's too late. I mean, we've been waiting for this for how long and then she dies?!

I decided to do another dream bit but not with Hiashi. Hope you all like it.

Let's rock!

-x-

It was early in the morning as Haku walked towards the apartment that she shared with Naruto. She walked down the quiet streets of the village while carrying a large bundle of herbs and other plants that she had spend last afternoon and all night collecting. With them she could make several kinds of medical creams as well as seasonings for her cooking.

She soon passed a shop that had a gourd in the display window which caused her thoughts to drift to a certain red haired genin. When she had first seen him she thought he looked weak and tired. Of course seeing him fight changed her mind about that. But there was something more to him. In his eyes she could see that he was in pain, a pain that only came from betrayal. For a long time, she had seen that same look in her eyes after her father had killed her mother and then tried to kill her.

Slowly, she walked up the steps that led to the apartment while she thought more about Gaara. She had to admit that she thought that he was kind of cute. And she had caught him staring at her several times. Did that mean that he liked her? Maybe he simply thought that she was pretty. She did get that reaction a lot. A guy would see her and would want to get to know her because she looked really hot and that was about it.

She remembered one time in a certain village when a guy offered to buy her a drink. She accepted and when he thought she wasn't looking he tried to slip something in her drink. Of course, being a skilled kunoichi, she saw him do it as if there had been a large neon sign pointing to his actions. She then decided to simply leave rather than make a fuss about it when he then became a bit more direct by grabbing her. Before she could do anything, Zabuza showed up. After Zabuza 'took care' of him, the two of them left that village really quickly.

Haku stopped her thought when she was only a few feet from the door. There, standing still like a statue was Naruto. Haku walked towards him and then wave a free hand in front of his face. If he saw it he didn't seem to express it. In fact, the only expression on his face was pure shock. With a sigh, she used her chakra to gather water in the air above Naruto's head. Once she felt she had enough Haku allowed gravity to do the rest and watched as it fell on her cousin's head. Once the cold water hit the blonds head he yelled out in surprise.

"What the hell was that…for?" asked Naruto as he became aware that Haku was in front of him and that it was no longer night.

"I think I'll like this story," said Haku as she opened the door. Naruto followed her in and the two of them sat down at the table. Haku laid all that she had gathered on the table and then looked at Naruto with a curious smile on her face. "So, what happened?"

"Well," began Naruto. For the next several minutes Naruto told his cousin all about what had happened. Haku listened silently as Naruto told her about the two kisses and the girl's actions after both of them. "I just don't get it," he said as finished his story. "I mean, the both dropped this on me and I don't understand why!"

"It's simple," said Haku calmly. "They both have feeling for you."

"And that's what I don't get!" said Naruto loudly. "We're friends, we've always been friends. I like them both but…I just don't know if I like them that way. Maybe if they had left some hints before this it would be different." Haku sighed.

"Listen cousin," said Haku firmly. "As either one ever tried to get rid of the other so that the two of you could be alone?" Naruto thought for a moment and then nodded. "And when you are alone with one of them and the other just happens to show up, does the girl you were with get a little upset in anyway?" Naruto nodded once again. "Have they ever fought over who will help you with anything?" Again, Naruto nodded. "Those were the signs."

Naruto's eyes widened at this revelation. They had been sending him hints for some time now and he had been completely clueless. Thinking back, how could he have not seen this? Suddenly his shoulders felt heavy and his head landed on the table.

"This can't be good," muttered Naruto. "I just hope that they don't turn into Ino or Sakura."

"Don't worry Naruto-itoko," said Haku as she got up and headed towards the stove. "They're both fine kunoichi, I'm sure they'll handle it well."

"That's what I'm afraid of," said Naruto with a shutter. With Ino and Sakura, one could usually expect them to just call each other names and say rude things about the other. Sometimes they would get into fights, but they were both so unskilled that their fights look like just a normal brawl. However, Hinata and Anko were both skilled kunoichi and had a lot of skills at their disposal. If they two ever fought, Naruto was sure that Anko would be riding a snake while trying to get Hinata who would be speeding around her. And somehow he saw himself curled into a ball while floating in the air has he watched the two fight over him. Every man's dream his ass.

"Hey Naruto-itoko," said Haku as she snapped him out of his thoughts. "Have you seen the cherry pie that I left near the window to cool down?" Naruto shook his head. "Uh, I guess someone stole it. Well, I better make another one. Someone actually said they want me to start cooking for them after they heard about my cooking skills!"

_I pity the baka_, thought Naruto as he watched as Haku began to make another pie. However, he soon left as Haku began to add things into it that he knew did not belong in any kind of food. Who the hell taught her how to cook in the first place?

-x-

Elsewhere, Hisame groaned in pain. Michi lay on the ground near her with green foam coming out of her mouth. Last night she thought she had been lucky when she spotted that pie. Sure it seemed to bleed a bit when she cut herself a slice and even for when she cut her partner a slice, but she didn't expect this kind of reaction. And the strangest part was that…she was still hungry!

-x-

Neji was in some kind of cage. To be specific, it was a bird cage. And outside the cage was Naruto flying around it freely. Neji watched as the blond made figure eight's in the air and then a few loops. The long haired Hyuuga tried to get out by squeezing between the bars but to no avail. Then, Naruto appeared in front of him with the bars of the cage separating them.

"Need a hand?" asked Naruto. Before Neji could respond in anyway, Naruto flew under the cage. Neji watched as a blade made of wind seemed to pierce the floor of the cage and then began to move around its edges until it had completely circled around. As soon as it had done this, the floor fell and Neji fell with it.

Neji tried to call out for help, but all that came out was chirping. It was then that Neji realized that he had been turned into a small bluebird. Neji looked up and saw Naruto had begun to change as well. Naruto grew golden feathers and his body changed into that of a bird. When he was done Neji could see that Naruto was now a golden eagle. The eagle screeched and then shot towards Neji with its talons ready for the kill.

That was when Neji woke up, screaming.

-x-

Hanabi was in the hospital and was heading for Neji's room. Last night had been one of the worst she could remember. During dinner it took all of her will power not to start asking her father questions about what Hinata said. After dinner she had gone to her bedroom and just laid there on the bed. Her thoughts kept her awake as she stared at the ceiling. Was she really just a replacement for her older sister? What would her life have been like if Hinata were still around? Would she still be next clan head? These thoughts plagued Hanabi as did several fantasies she had where Hinata was still around and they were the ideal family.

When she saw the suns light enter her room, Hanabi got out of bed and got changed. She then wrote a note for her father saying that she would be checking up on Neji. Of course, she made it sound like she was only doing this because she was the future clan head and was going to scold Neji for his poor performance. Only someone like Hiashi would be happy to read something like this and feel a sense of pride. It was a cold and uncaring, much like him.

As Hanabi neared Neji's room she heard a scream and stopped dead in her tracks. A moment later Neji emerged from his room. He was still hooked to a medicine bag and had plenty of bandages on his leg and arms.

"Where is he?" roared Neji. Hanabi stepped back in fright. Neji's eyes were unfocused, looking all over the place as if he was seeing things or looking for something that wasn't there. Two chunin appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her cousin but he fought back to the best of his ability. But with Neji's body in the shape it was in it proved to be a fruitless battle as he was easily brought back into his room and forced onto the bed. As nurses entered the room, Neji continued to struggle while yelling out. "I know he's here somewhere! I'm not done with you yet Uzumaki! It's my fate to beat you! MY FATE!" Before he could say anymore, a nurse stuck a needle in his neck and soon Neji passed out.

"Will he be alright?" asked Hanabi suddenly. Everyone turned around to see the girl standing in the doorway for the first time. She watched as they all exchanged looks nervously, as if hoping that someone would volunteer to explain to her the problem. A doctor was eventually called him and led Hanabi to his office. He sat her down and took a seat behind his desk.

"Hyuuga-sama," said the doctor in a serious tone. "Physically your cousin is fine. His injuries were serious, but they weren't life threatening. He should be out in a matter of days."

"But what was with him freaking out back there?" demanded Hanabi. The doctor sighed.

"Well, like I said, physically he's fine," replied the doctor. "However his mental state is still another matter. At first I thought he was under a genjutsu but our tests have come up negative. That leaves us with only one other possibility and that is he is finding hard to accept the facts. Think of the mind as two parts working together to make the whole. One half is the logical part and the other half is the ego. The logical part has accepted that Neji has lost while the ego is denying it. The two halves are clashing and what you saw is the result. With the proper help he can come to terms with what happened and move on. How long that will take will be up to him."

Hanabi nodded, thanked the doctor, and then left. As she left the hospital her mind was clouded with angry thoughts. She was watching helplessly as the family she knew was being destroyed. Her father had taken away her sister the day she was born and hide that fact from her. Now her cousin was losing his mind. There was nothing she could do about her father, but she might have a chance to get back at the blonde.

As she walked down the streets, her thought kept getting darker and darker. Then, as if it were a sign of some kind, she saw the blonde walking down the streets ahead of her. This was her chance!

-x-

The smell at his apartment had become unbearable. So unbearable that Naruto had to leave just to relax for a while. He was currently on his way to the hot springs so that he could unwind a bit. Yeah, he'd take a nice hot dip in the hot springs and let his mind wonder for a while so he could forget about all the shit that had been happening lately.

Suddenly he felt a small bit of killer intent aimed at him. He then lifted himself into the air and did a back flip to avoid the charge and palm thrust of a tiny Hyuuga who he had no idea who she was. He stopped and hovered behind her while he was upside down and watched as the little girl, who had charged at him with all her might, fell into the hot river water that was just up ahead.

A couple of minutes later, Hanabi found herself sitting in front of the hot spring wearing a bath robe until her clothing dried. Her skin was still red and stung like hell from time to time. But that wasn't the worse part. No, the worst part was that she was saved by the person she had tried to kill. Well, maybe not kill but at least harm in some way. Suddenly, she felt something cold press against her check. She looked over and saw Naruto pressing a bottle of cold milk against her cheek with a big grin on his face.

"Thank you," she said as she accepted the milk.

"No problem," said Naruto as he sat down next to her. "So, what was that about anyways?"

"You hurt my cousin," said Hanabi before she began to drink the milk. Naruto blinked for a moment and then remembered the chunin exams. Funny, he had forgotten all about that.

"Oh, I see," said Naruto. "You're Hiashi-teme's kid. Nice to meet ya." Upon hearing someone talk about her father that way, Hanabi spat out the milk in a comical fashion. Didn't he know who he was? Her father was the head of one of the most powerful clans in the village! He couldn't just talk about him like that in front of his daughter and act like it was nothing!

"Don't talk about him like that," said Hanabi. "It's disrespectful." Naruto snorted.

"There is nothing about that man that I respect," said Naruto. "Just because he was born into a powerful clan and happens to be the head means nothing to me. Especially after what he did to a friend of mine." Hanabi lowered her head at the.

"You mean my sister," she said quietly. Naruto blinked in surprise. He turned his head and looked at her in sock. "I just found out," she continued. "I saw her on the streets one day and began to look into it. But when I finally found out the truth…it wasn't what I expected."

"I guess that's the way it goes," said Naruto as he thought about when he found out why the village hated him. "Have you talked to her at all?" Hanabi nodded as she took another sip of her milk. "Didn't go so well, did it."

"It's all my fault," said Hanabi. "If I hadn't been born then she might still be a Hyuuga. If I…why the hell are you smiling?!" It was true, Naruto had a big grin on his face and it ticked Hanabi off.

"Sorry," said Naruto as he tried to get rid of his grin and failed. "It's just that I'm glad you were born. It's because of you that Hinata-chan was able to get away from that clan, away from her father. She's opened up so much since then and has people who care about her. They don't see her as a Hyuuga but as Hinata-chan. So, I'm glad you were born."

"But what about me?" demanded Hanabi. "How am I supposed to feel about this? I'm just the replacement! And now I have to live with the knowledge that tou-san can replace me as well if he wants to."

"Well," said Naruto, "you can only hope. Things like that are out of anyone's control. And just so you know, Hinata-chan has never blamed you for what happened. I could tell that she has missed being a part of your life because whenever she heard about the head family she got really curious. I think that she has wanted to talk to you for awhile but couldn't do to Hiashi-teme. So, what I'm trying to get at here is don't blame yourself anymore than you already have."

Hanabi looked at Naruto in sock at what he said. It was…comforting. No one else in her family had ever talked to her like that, like she was a child. From a young age she was expected to be strong and mature all the time. She had a role to fill and that role had no room for weakness. And now, with the sun's light hitting his face just right…Hanabi turned away before he could notice a blush on her face. She began to wonder what was wrong with her and Naruto sipped his milk in pure blissful ignorance. However, the moment Hanabi turned around was when she saw something that caused her to scream.

"PERVERT!" she yelled as she pointed up into a tree. Naruto whipped his head around and saw the target. He was an old man with white hair with red markings on his face. He was oddly dressed and was writing stuff down on a note pad while giggling like an idiot.

"This is great stuff," he said. "I had hoped to get some research done with the women it the hot spring, but this is even better. I can see it now: the boyfriend comforts the sister of his lover, beginning their own relationship."

"What the hell are you smoking?" demanded Naruto who didn't notice Hanabi's blush. "Who are you anyways?" The man jumped down and began to do a dance.

"I am the man all the women seek," sang the man. "I am the man who is feared by all other men. The great sage of the toads of Mt. …"

"I asked for a name, not a lame song and dance routine," interrupted Naruto. The man face faulted.

"Fine," snapped the man. "I'm Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin. I am also the writer of the very popular Icha Icha series."

"So you're the pervert who writes those books Kakashi-sensei is always reading?" asked Naruto as he pointed an accusing finger at Jiraiya.

"I'm not any pervert," corrected Jiraiya as he closed his eyes. "I'm a super pervert!" When he opened his eyes he saw that Naruto and Hanabi were now walking away from him. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Away from anyone who takes pride in being called a super pervert," replied Naruto as he walked away.

"I always thought that the members of the Densetsu no Sannin were better than that," said Hanabi with a sigh. "Now I know that one of them is a porn writing show off."

"Densetsu no Sannin?" repeated Naruto. He turned around and pointed at Jiraiya again. "Hey, you're one of the weaklings that lost to Hanzo-jisan." Jiraiya face faulted again and when he got back up his face was covered with tick marks.

"I'm not weak," he said. "And I could beat his wrinkly ass right now if he was here!"

"Yeah," said Naruto with a deadpanned expression. "And if you couldn't do it now you could always wait until he was in a wheelchair or on life support."

_Damn it_, thought Jiraiya. _This gaki gets under my skin the same way his mother did. I guess it's true that he looks like Minato but has Kushina's personality. Scary._ As scary as it was, it now gave him a clue into handling Naruto.

"Fine, be that way," said Jiraiya as if he were a child. "And here I was going to teach you a new jutsu. A really good one too seeing it was one of the Yondaime's. But since you're being so cold to me, maybe I shouldn't." Jiraiya paused for a moment and observed Naruto's reaction. He could tell that Naruto was at war with himself. One side wanted to leave while the other side wanted to learn the jutsu. All he needed was one more push. "Oh, what am I thinking? I doubt that you could master this jutsu even if you had a million years." Hook, line, and sinker.

"I'll show you Ero-sennin!" roared Naruto. Tick marked returned to Jiraiya's face.

"Don't call me that gaki!" shouted Jiraiya.

"They're both baka's," said Hanabi as she walked away.

-x-

Over in a clearing, Jiraiya held up a water balloon.

"Ok," began Jiraiya. "There are no hand signs for this jutsu which seems to be your specialty. Now, there are three steps in learning this jutsu. This is the first." Suddenly the water balloon in Jiraiya's hand became all bumpy until it burst. "Now then, you will have mastered this step when you can burst the balloon by rotating your chakra."

"Ha," laughed Naruto. "This'll be easy." With that, Naruto picked up a water balloon and began to rotate his chakra. Soon, the balloon began to bulge a bit around the middle until it became more like a disk.

"Not as easy as it looks," laughed Jiraiya. Naruto scowled as then closed his eyes. He slowly replayed what he had seen the older man do in his mind and compared it with what he was doing now. He was doing what he was told to do, but there was a very visible difference between what he had done and what was supposed to happen.

_I don't get it_, thought Naruto. _Mine's all flat while his was full of bumps. Wait a minute, his also remained round while mine got flat. So that means that something else was keeping it like that. Something else…something else…something else. Maybe there was more than one rotation going on!_

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow as a smirk appeared on Naruto's face. Naruto then held up his balloon and then bumps appeared on it like Jiraiya's had. Suddenly it burst splashing everyone near it with water.

"How…how the hell did you do that?" demanded Jiraiya. Naruto grinned.

"Well, it's kind of like how I fly," replied Naruto. "I just wrap the wind around me and have it rotate in all directions to keep me up. So I just used the same concept with this and it worked. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out."

_I can't believe you caught on this fast_, thought Jiraiya. _But then again, sensei taught him about chakra control a long time ago. This might be interesting._

"Ok then," said Jiraiya as he pulled out a rubber ball this time. "Let's move on to step two."

-x-

Meanwhile, Zaku and Dosu were in the ANBU Torture and Investigation Chamber. They were both strapped to steel chairs and bars placed next to their heads to keep them from moving. In front of them were two TV screens that showed them the front door. They stared at it while Ibiki stood next to them.

"This is your last chance," he said. "I want to know what Orochimaru is planning. If you don't tell me what I want to know then you will have to pay the price. So, what will it be?"

"If I could give you the finger I would," replied Zaku.

"We will never betray Orochimaru-sama," said Dosu.

"Very well then," said Ibiki as he pulled out a remote with a single red button on it. "You had your chance." With that, he pressed the button. As soon as he did, the doors at the entrance began to open. Dosu and Zaku gulped as a figure began to walk into the building. The figure was enveloped by the light causing the two shinobi to be unable to make out his features. All they could tell was that he was carrying something. The figure then walked towards the reception desk and they saw that it was…Haku!

"What the hell?" yelled Dosu. "Are you trying to tempt us with women?"

"That doesn't sound so bad," said Zaku.

"Hello," said Haku to the receptionist. "I brought Ibiki-san those pies he ordered. But I don't understand why he didn't want me to leave them at his place."

"They're for a party," said the receptionist. Haku nodded and then left after getting paid. As soon as she was gone, four people in hazmat suits came into the room and took the pies. A few minutes later, Ibiki was slicing one of them while wearing a breathing device.

"Time for your just deserts," he said as they were then force feed Haku's pies from hell.


	23. Chapter 23

This is DarthValgaav reporting live in front of Kishimoto's home. I along with Sagara Sousuke, Saitō Hajime, Alita, and Kuwabara Kazuma are all preparing our attack after we heard about Hinata's death. I gathered people I knew would help avenge this monstrous act, except for Saitō who just wanted to kill something and came along for that reason. Wait a moment. It seems like my brother, DarthHercule, has just informed me that the latest manga has come out.

O.K., I guess we have to put the attack on hold. Hinata is alive. At least, that's what I see when I look at the panel with Hinata saying Naruto's name in her head. Also, as an added bonus, Anko seems to be back as well. About time I say. We haven't seen her in the manga since the chunin exam! Also, Naruto at level eight and a father and son reunion! I guess I'll let him off the hook for now. But, just to be on the safe side, Sousuke will be getting the C4 ready.

Let's rock!

-x-

The Suna siblings were at their apartment doing nothing much. Baki, their sensei, had left to inform their father of the events that had taken place so far and to receive new orders. Temari was polishing her fan. Kankuro was staring out a window. Gaara, well, he had a lot on his mind. Ever since he came to this village he had been having all these weird feelings. First was with that girl, Haku. He had never felt that way towards anyone in his life. He even spared his opponent when he thought that killing him might make her unhappy. Still, he had no idea why he felt this way. The other feeling was fear. Something about that flying blond caused Shukaku to become restless and panicked. When Gaara had tried to ask his 'mother' why, all he received was silence.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Gaara let out a sigh, got up, and went over to the door. Walking would help him stay awake anyways. When Gaara reached the door he opened it to find…Haku?!

"Ah…ah," stammered Gaara as he was now face to face with the black haired girl. Temari and Kankuro stopped what they were doing to turn and watch the events occurring in front of them.

"Hello," said Haku. "I was on my way home when I remembered that I had some extra cookies that I had made. And well, you see, I know you are all new here I just wanted to make you all feel welcome. So here." With that, Haku held out a tray of cookies that looked very good to Gaara who stood there like a statue.

When the other two siblings heard that they felt a twinge of guilt. They were planning on destroying the village and this girl was giving them cookies to help make them feel welcome. How do you get over that kind of guilt? Temari gulped as she got up and walked over to the door.

"Ah, thanks," she said as she took the cookies from Haku. "Would you like to come in?"

"Alright," said Haku causing Gaara's heart to skip a beat. Temari then set the cookies on the table and went to make some tea. Gaara and Haku sat down while Kankuro watched from a distance. As soon as they sat down, Haku began to ask Gaara questions. Simple ones really. She asked him what Suna was like, his hobbies, how he was handling being out of the desert, and other such things. Gaara, for the most part, answered these questions quickly while not looking at her face.

Then, things took an interesting turn. Gaara reached out for one of the cookies that were laying out on the table. After all, he could use a little sugar to stay awake and Haku had brought them. So without any hesitation he took a bit and swallowed. Then next thing that happened was that he fell right to the ground.

When his siblings saw this, they rushed to start damage control. First order of business, get civilians to safety!

"Oh Kami," cried Haku as she watched Temari move to her brothers side.

"We'll handle this," said Kankuro. "I think you'd better go."

"But I have medicine," said Haku. Kankuro just shook his head as he picked her up and then began to push her out the door.

"Trust me on this," he said. "It's a family thing." And with that, he closed the door in Haku's face before she could say another word. As soon as the accidental chief was out of the room, Kankuro turned towards his sister as he prayed that his little brother wasn't asleep. If he was, then they were all screwed because when he was asleep the demon inside of his began to eat away at his soul. "Well, how is he?"

"He's a-asleep," stammered Temari. She then gulped. "Whatever was in that cookie knocked him out in a second." Suddenly her eyes widened. "You don't think that they know about Gaara? That girl might have been sent here to turn him lose on us!"

"That's impossible!" said Kankuro. "No one outside the village knows about his condition. Well, nobody that's still alive that is. And speaking of that, why are we still alive?" Temari blinked and turned her attention back to Gaara. He seemed like he was sleeping like any normal person. But he wasn't normal, he was Gaara! Gaara then let out a snore, causing Temari and Kankuro to jump with fright. What was going on?

Meanwhile, inside the seal, Shukaku was lying on his back with X's where his eyes should have been. His mouth was open and his tongue was hanging out of it. It had taken all of his strength to keep whatever was in that cookie from hurting his host and sending it to him instead. The end result was that he not only tasted that awful thing, but he felt everything that Gaara would have felt. The things he did to make sure that his host lived.

-x-

The next morning, Sarutobi was drinking his morning tea before he got started on his paperwork. It was a ritual of his and he did it every morning at the same time. He knew that some people liked to start their day with coffee, but this was far more calming. He needed a little relaxation in between work and raising his grandson.

Today he needed it more than ever. As soon as he sat down at his desk he found a two pieces of paper left by the council. The first one he read while drinking his tea was from the Kazekage who was willing to allow the match between his son and Uchiha Sasuke. The second paper held the match ups that the council had decided upon. First would be Rock Lee vs. Uzumaki Naruto. The second round would have the winner of the first round go up against Shihōin Hinata. After that was Kankuro against Aburame Shino. The fourth round pitted Nara Shikamaru against Temari. Mitarashi Anko and Tsuchi Kin were up after that. Finally, there was Uchiha Sasuke and Gaara. While he was going to allow the last Uchiha in the village to enter, he wasn't going to promote him regardless of how well he did. This would be the price of allowing him to continue and still make it fair to everyone else.

The old man took a sip of his tea as he set down the paper. He had a good idea who was behind the pairing of the first two rounds. Hiashi was certainly becoming a problem. The man still held a grudge against both Naruto and Hinata. He was probably hoping to see the outcome of a wounded and tired Naruto fight Hinata. However, the Hokage felt deep down that this plan of his would simply blow up in his face.

Ever since the fight with Neji, there had been more favorable talk about Naruto. People would comment about what an amazing fight it had been and were wondering how the next match would be compared to it. Also, almost all of his shinobi had a change of heart about the boy. In fact, yesterday he had a chunin request that Naruto join his team for a mission! According to the chunin, Naruto's power of flight would help their chances of succeeding and Sarutobi agreed. However, it would be unfair to ask Naruto to do any missions at this time while the others were preparing for the finals.

Anko had also received more favorable talk. Well, it was mostly from the male half. Many of them were talking about what she'd look like in a few years. Hell, some of the more perverted men were drawing pictures or using henge to get a better visual. This led to many bloody noses.

Just then the door opened. The Hokage looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see Jiraiya.

"Hey old man," said Jiraiya with a huge grin on his face.

"You seem to be in a good mood," commented the older man. If possible, Jiraiya's grin seemed to get bigger as he pulled out a notepad.

"Ever since I got back I have found a ton of material for my research," he replied. "If things keep going as well as they have been then my next book will be coming out much sooner than expected!" Sarutobi's eyes widened and his nose began to drip a bit from hearing that. Oh, he had been waiting for the next book to come out for a while now.

Realizing that he was showing his perverted side, the Hokage coughed and used it as an excuse to quickly wipe away the blood. His look grew serious and more fitting for someone in his position. After all, he never knew who was watching. And right now, he knew that more people were watching him than ever before. These were mostly reporters who were looking for inside scoops on his genin. But should one of them find him at this moment…he shuttered to think of the consequences.

"So, how is the training going?" asked Sarutobi.

"Well," said Jiraiya as he put away the note pad. "I have to say that I'm still disappointed that Naruto had already signed a different summoning contract."

"I told you about that years ago," replied Sarutobi.

"I know, I know," sighed Jiraiya. "But I had planned on using it to teach the gaki how to draw on the Kyuubi's chakra. But I guess I'll have to figure out another way after I'm done showing him the Rasengan."

"Perhaps this is for the best," said the Hokage. "It would be a problem for everyone if Naruto became dependant on it or lost control."

"But if I were to teach him control then that wouldn't be a problem," reasoned Jiraiya. "And if he can control it then he will be able to use that chakra to its fullest."

"I take it that you are referring to 'that'" said Sarutobi. Jiraiya nodded. "So you think that Naruto is an heir to one of the three legendary clans. The one with the power to 'play dead'."

"You know as well as I do that the founder of the Uzumaki clan had that power," said Jiraiya. "He was also to of had an unnatural control over the wind. So much so that he could fly! Also, his brothers were said to have had control over wood and the power to copy. We know who the other two were and that only once in a long while that an heir appears that can mimic their powers. And I believe that we once had two heirs in this village at the same time!"

"Yet the third power hasn't surfaced since its founder," said Sarutobi. "And we don't know if Naruto's powers come from his training, his family, or the Kyuubi." Sarutobi shook his head. "It would be best that we didn't rely on this myth. Now, what has your information network found out?"

-x-

"Damn you Uzumaki!" screamed Madara. He was standing in the ruins of what was once Uzugakure which stood on top a plateau. Back when it had been a shinobi village there had been a lift system that would take dozens of people to the top. But now that and everything else about this place was falling apart. The buildings were crumbling and the plants were nonexistent. Bones of dead animal littered the streets. Perhaps the only thing that seemed to remain the same since the last time he was there was the main road which spiraled around the village until it came to an end in front of the shinobi office.

Madara was standing in the office which once belonged to the village leader. Standing in there made the man remember the red haired man who had defeated him long ago. While he had died right afterwards, Madara was still soundly defeated. He had failed to eliminate his target and to collect his prize. It was so irritating that after all these years he was still unable to find the last stone. He had one and he knew the location of the second one. Yet the third stone remained hidden from him.

It was out there somewhere. Kushina didn't have it on her when he sent her to that pocket dimension. It also wasn't in her house which he searched right after the Kyuubi attack. It had to be here somewhere and he would find it!

-x-

"Lee, I want you to listen carefully," said Gai. Both he and Lee were at their normal training grounds as they prepared for the finals. They had gotten the match ups for the final part of the exam that a short time ago and now Gai had to make sure that Lee could get past the first round. While he knew what the examiners were looking for, the more time you spent fighting the better your odds at passing.

"Hai Gai-sensei," said Lee loudly as he pulled out a notepad from behind his back.

"Your first opponent has a serious advantage over you," said Gai. "The power to fly will allow Naruto-kun to move where ever he wants and get out of range of your fists. And without any long range skills, he will be untouchable." At this point, Lee looked up from his notepad.

"So how can I beat him?" asked Lee.

"Do not worry my youthful student," said Gai with a laugh. "From what I have seen, Naruto-kun has few long range attacks of his own. He also seems to prefer to attack up close. If we were to increase your speed and timing then you will be better able to avoid his attacks and counter them. We will also increase your weights so that when you take them off you will be able to give him a little surprise. Do you understand?"

"Yosh!" yelled Lee as he put away his notepad.

-x-

Sasuke began to pant as Kakashi stood over him with one of his eye smiles. Kakashi had to admit that Sasuke's training was moving faster than he had expected with his lightning element training. It was now day two and the boy was just starting to get the hang of the first part of the training which was to charge up a light bulb with his charka. Sasuke was truly a genius to be able to do this. Also, having the Sharingan helped as well.

After his loss in the prelims, Kakashi had sealed up the cursed mark as best he could. After that, he had heard about the fuss that was going on about the match-up. He had a feeling how things would turn out so he decided to start Sasuke's training right away. Sasuke was eager to begin and to show everyone that he wasn't weak. They both knew that if it hadn't been for the cursed mark then Sasuke would have won. Now they were getting a chance to prove that fact to the entire world.

"You're doing well," said Kakashi. "Once you are done with this part of your training I can begin to teach you the Chidori. You'll need it if you want to do well in the next part of the exam."

"Not like it matter that much," said Sasuke. "All I want is some payback. Besides, I won't be able to pass, remember?"

"True," said Kakashi. "But that is no excuse for you not to do your best. Also, this jutsu will not only help you in exam but with your goals as well." Hearing that, Sasuke seemed to perk up a bit. "I believe that once you have mastered this jutsu you will be able to defeat Naruto, Gaara, and eventually Itachi."

"How can the Chidori help me beat that dobe?" asked Sasuke. "A lightning jutsu will always lose to a wind jutsu."

"That's right," said Kakashi with an eye smile. "But be that as it may, the Chidori will defeat the Sempuken. While my Sharingan can't copy the Sempuken it has allowed me to spot its fatal flaw." At this, Sasuke learned forward a bit. "Like a hurricane or a twister, the Sempuken is basically wind rotating around a center point which in this case is Naruto's fist. That center area is a calm place where there is little or no wind and is the center of power for the attack. Now, if you were able to disrupt that area with a powerful attack then the attack will explode as all that power is released at once. However, there is a chance that the explosion will kill you both.

"So, in order to avoid this, you would need either a precise long range attack or attack with a high speed assault and then get out of there quickly before the explosion occurs. The problem with a long range attack is that the enemy will see it coming and might be able to do something about it. Naruto will most likely avoid it because he can fly. That leaves us with one option which is why we will be working on your speed. I am positive that you will be able to defeat Gaara with this attack. And, if Naruto's luck holds out, you might face him in the finals.

"Sasuke, I'm giving you this jutsu to help with your goals. However, I don't want you to use this jutsu against your allies. Right now, everyone in the exam is your enemy. But once the exam is over, some of them will become your allies once again. So once this exam is over I do not what to see you use it against your teammates. Is that understood?" Sasuke only nodded.

-x-

It was late at night as Naruto dragged himself to Ichiruka's Ramen. So far his training wasn't going as well as he had hoped. The second part of the training was proving to be far more difficult than he had thought it would be. Now Naruto's hands hurt like hell from molding all that chakra and putting it into a rubber ball. All he could hope for was that this would all be worth it in the end.

The ramen stand seemed dead as Naruto took his usual seat. The only other person there was Ayame.

"Naruto-kun," cried Ayame when she saw him. "I haven't seen you in like forever. How have you been?"

"Fine," replied Naruto with a grin. "I've been busy training for the exams so I have a big appetite. Can I please get double miso and double pork?"

"Sure thing," said Ayame as she checked her watch. "Looks like you'll be my last costumer since he's not showing up."

"Who?" asked Naruto as he pulled out some chop sticks.

"Oh, just this guy who has been showing up lately," replied Ayame as she went to work on Naruto's order. "He's a little weird and he comes from the northern side of the village. It's almost nine so he won't…" Just then a large boar came running towards the ramen stand. On its back was a man with black hair and a bandanna. As soon as they were close to the stand the boar suddenly stopped and the man flew off of his ride and landed face first into the wall. "…show up."

"Geez Bonny, why do you have to be like that?" said the man to the boar. He then turned around and smiled at Ayame while four other people who were also riding boars showed up. "How's it going Ayame-chan? Bet you're glad to see me again?"

"Yes, well," said Ayame with a nervous laugh. His body language just screamed that she had been hoping he wouldn't come. "Naruto-kun, this is Ganju. He's the man I was telling you about just now." At that, Ganju looked over at Naruto as if just noticing that he was there. As soon as he saw his headband, his eyes seemed to narrow.

"What's a stinking shinobi doing here?" he asked.

"What did you say?" demanded Naruto as tick marks appeared on his face.

"Oh, what's the matter?" asked Ganju in a baby voice as he walked over to Naruto. He then walked over to him and began to pat Naruto on the side of his face. "I said, what's a stinking shinobi doing here?" When he finished saying that Naruto punched him so hard that he was thrown back several meters. "What the hell was that for you jerk?!"

"That's my line!" yelled Naruto as he pointed at Ganju. "I was sitting here minding my own business when you just showed up and started asking like a jerk! Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I am the self proclaimed number one shinobi hater of the world!" declared Ganju. "I am also the self proclaimed most hansom and sexy man as well." Naruto just gritted his teeth.

"Great," he said. "Just what I need. Another idiot. Fist it was the self proclaimed super pervert and now this."

"Looks like we were destined to be enemies," said Ganju who seemed to be ignoring Naruto as he got into a fighting stance. "I'll enjoy making you a blood stain on the ground." Ganju was then about to charge when a ringing sound was heard. Apparently, one of his goons had a giant clock strapped to his back. "Aw shit, it's nine?! Nee-san will kill me! You got lucky punk. Next time I won't go easy on you. Come Bonny, we're going home!" With that, Bonny rammed into Ganju and sent him flying.

"Well," said Naruto as he accepted his ramen. "That was pointless."

-x-

It was now near the end of the month long wait till the finals began. Naruto had finished the second part but was having a hard time with the last part. And with time running out, Jiraiya decided that maybe they should try a different approach. One that would motivate Naruto into doing better.

"So who is this person we're looking for again?" asked Naruto as they walked threw some fields.

"Just someone I knew a while back," answered Jiraiya. "Her name is Shiba Kūkaku and she was the younger sister of a student of mine way back. However, she likes to keep a low profile and moves around the outskirts of the village a lot."

"Ok," said Naruto. "And she'll help me how?"

"Just trust me," said Jiraiya with a grin. Moments later the two of them came to an odd building with arms at the sides that were holding up a banner. "Well, that's new."

"Great," said Naruto. "She's crazy."

"Who dares to speak that way of our master?" came two voices that talked at once. A moment later two giant men appeared in front of Jiraiya and Naruto. One wore a white outfit while the other wore a yellow one. "We will not allow anyone to pass without defeating us so prepare yourselves!" Jiraiya just scratched his head.

"Hey," he said. "Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, it's me Jiraiya." Upon seeing him, the two of them got down on their knees and began to bow. "I'm here to see Kūkaku. Can you take us to see her?" The two men nodded and lead the pair into the building and down a flight of steps. They then knelt in front of a door and then took a knee.

"Who is it?" demanded a female voice. "I'm with someone."

"A thousand pardons," said one of them. "But Jiraiya-sama is here to see you."

"He is, is he?" said the voice in an amused tone. "Well then, let him in."

Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko opened the does and Naruto got a good look at Kūkaku. She was lying back on some pillows while smoking a pipe. Her black hair was tied up in bandages and she wore a tight red outfit. What was shocking was that one of her arms was made of wood. With her were Hinata and Yoruichi. Both he and Hinata blushed at seeing each other again since the last time they did they had kissed.

Yoruichi blinked when she saw Jiraiya. She didn't expect him to be in town. But then again, she had been here with Hinata for almost a month so they could train in secret. She wanted Hinata to get used to an opponent who could use sand which happened to be Kūkaku's younger brother. However, his skills were nowhere near Gaara's. But still, better to have some than none. A cat like smile then appeared on her face when she saw Naruto. Of course she knew about the kiss since she had seen it from the shadows. It had been like Christmas had come early for her because she gained a lot of teasing material. It was times like those that made her glad that she had taken Hinata in.

"Hey Kūkaku," said Jiraiya as he walked in. "I was wondering if you could lone me some of those special orbs of yours? It would be a great help with his training."

"And why should I?" asked Kūkaku as she took a drag. "No offence sensei, but I'm already helping out one friend. Why should I help a second?" It was then that she noticed who was standing next to him. The resemblance between him and her brother's old teammate was so striking that she nearly dropped her pipe. Nearly. "Hmm, maybe I can help you out. I'll get my ototo to help him out since he's done helping out the hime here." At that, Hinata squeaked softly and then blushed. She was not used to being called that. "Hey, get in here and behave yourself."

"Alright, alright," said a voice that was very familiar to Naruto. A moment later another door opened and there, kneeling in front of everyone was Ganju. "I'm Shiba Ganju. It's nice to meet you." It was then that Ganju felt some irritation being directed towards him. Ganju quickly found the source, stood up, and began to point at Naruto. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same question?" yelled Naruto back at him.

"So, I take it you both know each other?" asked Kūkaku. However, neither one seemed to hear her as Ganju lunged at Naruto. Soon a fight broke out between them which involved breaking everything that got in their way. It was childish and somewhat amusing. Kūkaku watched as she continued to smoke her pipe which was the only thing keeping her calm. Yes, she'd let them fight until they tired each other out. Well, that was the plan until Naruto was thrown at Kūkaku and knocked the pipe out of her hand. Kūkaku's eyes widened and began to twitch as she looked down at her fallen pipe. A moment later, Ganju stepped on it and broke it. That was the last straw. It was one thing to fight in front of her but it was entirely another to BREAK HER PIPE! She began to concentrate chakra into her real fist and slammed it into the ground with a battle cry. Yoruichi, Jiraiya, and Hinata were able to get out of there in time before the blast wave of energy could hurt them. However, the building was smashed up. "I don't know who raised you two but this is my house and my rules. I don't appreciate what you have done to my house! Look at what you two did!"

"But, you're the one who did the most damage," muttered Naruto who was face down and trying to get back up. Kūkaku slowly walked over to him and then picked him up by the hair.

"Listen up baka," said Kūkaku. "This is my house and if you don't like how I do thing then you can leave. Any problems with that?!"

"Nope," answered Naruto in a small voice as he began to sweat.

"Good," said Kūkaku as she lowered him to the ground. Her expression seemed to become friendlier as if whatever rage had possessed her a moment ago was nothing more than a bad dream. "I'm glad we understand each other." As soon as she said that she let go of Naruto who fell to the ground with a thump. Naruto then crawled over to Ganju who was still shaken up by the whole thing.

"Your sister is a real piece of work," whispered Naruto.

"I know," muttered Ganju as tears fell from his eyes.

"Alright, get off your asses!" barked Kūkaku. At once both Naruto and Ganju stood and remained completely still. "Ganju, take him to the orb room and show him what to do. MOVE IT!"

"Hai!" yelled Naruto and Ganju at the same time.

A few minutes, Naruto found himself in a regular training hall. The only thing that was odd about it was that there were several spheres in there that looked more like crystal balls. Ganju picked one out and held it in his palm. Slowly, chakra began to fill it until it was full.

"Alright now," said Ganju. "These are a special training exercise that is used to help with chakra control. Basically, you just fill it up with chakra without overflowing it. If you do then it will explode."

"So how will this help me?" asked Naruto.

"Simple gaki," said Jiraiya who was standing at the door. "The last part of the training requires that you maintain the spherical shape while keeping the power and rotation. If you start to use that jutsu with your charka inside the orb then it will explode if the jutsu fails. However, if you do it right then you'll be fine. In others words, we are taking your training to the extreme." Naruto let out a sigh. He really didn't get how this was supposed to help him, but he did get that if he failed there would be a boom.

"Fine," he said as he took an orb. He then began to add chakra, rotate it, and focus the power into the center. For a moment it looked like it was working. Until a crack appeared. A half second later there was the promised explosion. "Damn it!" cursed Naruto whose hair was now standing straight up and was covered with dirt. As he grabbed another orb, Ganju left the room and went back to where his sister was.

"Hey nee-chan," said Ganju. "Why the hell are we helping them? They're shinobi! Have you forgotten what happened nii-san?"

"Ganju, have you forgotten what I have told you?" asked Kūkaku in a serious tone. "Never bring that up again."

"But nee-chan," began Ganju, but a glare from his sister told him to shut it.

"You have your orders," said Kūkaku as another explosion was heard followed by cursing. "And never show them such a weak face again." Ganju nodded and left the room. Kūkaku pulled out a bottle of sake and then stared up at the ceiling. "Besides, if you were here and you saw that I didn't help them, you would have scolded me. Right, nii-san?" Once again, there was another explosion and even louder cursing.

It was hours later and Naruto still hadn't mastered the Rasengan. Every time he tried it seemed to blow up in his face. Literally! And each time Naruto got back up and tried again. Ganju had to admit that it was funny to watch at first, but then it got boring. Still, Ganju had to wonder what was driving him. What did he hope to achieve?

"Hey," barked Ganju as he stood up. "You have no talent of this. Just give up already."

"No way," said Naruto as he grabbed another sphere. "I'm not going to give up."

"Even if you do master this jutsu, there is no guarantee that you'll pass the exam," reasoned Ganju. "Unless maybe you're trying to impress a girl."

"No," said Naruto quickly. "That's not why I'm doing this. And besides, right now we're just friends."

"So then it must be money," said Ganju. "You must have made some kind of bet with that old guy that you could master this jutsu. Or maybe you made a bet on yourself for the finals. Is that it?"

"Bzzz, wrong answer," said Naruto.

"Then what is it?" demanded Ganju. "Why the hell are you trying so damn hard?"

"Because it's my dream!" declared Naruto causing Ganju to take a step back. "My dream is to one day become Hokage and protect this village. I'm willing to risk my life so that I can protect everyone who is important to me. Even the people who have treated me like dirt, I'll protect them."

"B-But why," stammered Ganju.

"Because that's my nindo," answered Naruto. "That's how I live."

Ganju was frozen to the spot he was standing as he stared at the blond in front of him. He was just a kid when his brother died and couldn't really remember him all that well. But standing there, listening to Naruto talk, it was as if his brother was standing right behind him. Suddenly, Ganju walked over to Naruto and took away the sphere.

"Listen up because I'll only give you this one tip," he said. "Try to visualize that there is a hole. It will always remain the same size, the same size as this sphere. Keep that image in mind as you put the chakra into the sphere and it will work. It's a simple trick, but it might be difficult for you." And with that, Ganju left the room.

"Baka," said Naruto. "At least he gave me some advice." With that, Naruto closed his eyes and began to focus on the jutsu once again. This time, however, he did as Ganju suggested. He visualized the hole and kept it from growing as he moved the chakra. And when he opened his eyes they widened to see that he had done it.

"Congratulations," said Jiraiya who was at the door again. "You have mastered the Rasengan in only three weeks. A new record!"

-x-

Next time the finals begin!


	24. Chapter 24

Ok, I was hoping for a better response than what I got last chapter. Seriously, I thought that I would get a lot of people complaining that I set up Naruto against Hinata. A few of you commented on Ganju. I put him in there because I put his sister in the story. If I didn't put him in then I would have gotten a lot of people asking where he was. Also, as you will see in this chapter, he will be making a big announcement that will rock your world. Or at least Naruto's.

Let me say this before I begin. I was contacted about how unlikely it was that Hinata is going to live. I have to agree that it did look like it at the time. She was unable to move and Pein was standing right in front of her. Yet he missed the vital organs and didn't cause any life threatening injuries. Maybe it was because he thought that no one would be able to help her in time. I doubt that he did it so Naruto would pull out the Kyuubi because that would mean more work for Pein. I have one theory of my own. Perhaps Pein subconsciously missed after being reminded of how his parents were murdered. He intended to but somewhere in the back of his mind something was screaming for him not to and caused the blade to do minor injuries. Well, whatever the reason, Hiashi better not say anything bad about what Hinata did when everyone else just stayed out of the way. He should be proud that his daughter at least did something that, in one way or another, helped out.

Let's rock!

-x-

It was fairly early as Naruto prepared to leave Kūkaku's home. He knew that Hinata had already left to avoid any awkward moments. Today would be the day they would fight, if he defeated Lee of course. This wouldn't be like their spars in the past. This would be an all out fight with both of them showcasing all their skills to the village and on live TV. Both of them had something to prove, not only to themselves but to everyone else out there. To Hinata, this was her chance to show everyone that she wasn't that weak little girl that was kicked out of the Hyuuga clan. For Naruto, this was to show all those people out there that he was a skilled shinobi and not just the container for the Kyuubi. Neither of them needed the distraction of negative labels.

Naruto was doing some light stretches while Kūkaku and her two goons were checking out the damages that had been done to the outside of the house. Jiraiya was watching her while taking out his notepad from time to time but never wrote anything down. He just put it away. While he might be a super pervert, he wasn't going to use the sister of one of his students as material in one of his books. He had some morals after all. However, he was fighting a very, very powerful urge to do it seeing that her tight outfit seemed to be even tighter in the morning. Shaking his head, Jiraiya walked over to Naruto and gave him a serious look at caught his attention.

"Naruto," said the old pervert. "I want you to be careful when using the Rasengan. It is a very powerful and dangerous jutsu to be used carelessly. I want you only to use it in this exam if you are in a tight pinch. From what I was earlier, the only one who I can see might be a problem will be that Gaara kid. Also…" at this point, Jiraiya leaned closer to Naruto to whisper in his ear. "If you start to use that too early on in the exam then the odds against you will go down."

"Gee, thanks for your concern, ero-sennin," said Naruto with a deadpanned expression. Jiraiya's eyes widened like dish plates and he gave Naruto a smack on the head.

"Stop calling me that gaki!" he barked. Naruto just backed up a few steps as he rubbed his head.

"Hey," came a voice that caused Naruto to groan a bit. Both shinobi turned to see Ganju walking towards them. Behind him were his four henchmen who were all walking several long steps behind him. "Listen up; I'm going to be watching you in the exams so you better not lose!" Upon hearing this, Kūkaku turned to look at her brother with a raised eyebrow.

"Not that I care or anything," said Naruto as he scratched the back of his head. "But you really don't have to do that." Ganju then grabbed Naruto by his shirt and picked him right off the ground until they were at eye level. Naruto was a bit taken back by this level of closeness and was wondering why no one was stopping this guy. Then, Ganju spoke.

"My nii-san was killed by the Yondaime!" declared Ganju. Naruto's eyes widened when he heard this.

"Ganju, don't you dare," shouted Kūkaku before Naruto could shout a protest to the claim. Ganju turned his head to face his sister and looked at her with the most serious look he had ever given her to date.

"Why don't you shut up for a change and let me talk," snapped Ganju. Sweat began to pour out of Naruto when he heard Ganju say that. He was talking back to a psycho woman who nearly destroyed her house just to get them to stop fighting. Imagine his surprise when it looked like she backed down. Ganju then turned his attention back at Naruto. "My nii-san was a brilliant shinobi. He graduated from the academy when he was only eleven and was then placed under the tutelage of Jiraiya-san. He moved through the ranks like lightning and even had a team of his own. He was well respected and loved almost as much as the Yondaime.

"Then, on the night the Kyuubi attack, my nii-san was killed. The murder weapon was one of the Yondaimes special kunai's that only he had. I was young then and I don't remember everything, however I do remember seeing his body brought back to here with the kunai still in his chest. I also remember my nii-san thanking the Yondaime. Even as he died he didn't hate the man who killed him. And after the battle was over, no one looked into my nii-san's death. No one wanted to hear anything bad about the hero who saved the village!"

Naruto just stared at Ganju, with mouth open. From everything that he knew about the Yondaime, he had been a good person. He would never kill an ally, let alone his own teammate. There had to be more to the story, there had to be. Behind Ganju, his gang was in tears.

"Oh, the boss has been holding back those feeling for years," cried one of them.

"Why did he say those things?" demanded Ganju. "Why didn't he hate the man who took his life and his future? I kept asking myself those questions and I began to think about shinobi in general. They lie and kill for a living, nothing more than hit men who will do anything for the right price. But you seem to be different from the rest. What you said yesterday made me think that there might be good shinobi out there that are like how my brother used to be. So that's why I'm going to see if I'm right about you."

A smirk appeared on Naruto's face. He then gripped Ganju's arm and applied some pressure. Ganju then let go but Naruto didn't fall, he just floated there. Ganju took a step back in shock at seeing Naruto fly for the first time.

"Just watch me then!" declared Naruto. He then shot up into the air and began to fly away. Ganju shouted at him to wait up and then began to follow him on foot, completely forgetting Bonny.

"You should really tell him about what happened," said Jiraiya as he crossed his arms.

"I know I should," replied Kūkaku. She then sighed. "But I doubt that he would believe me at this point. He needs to figure it out on his own. Besides, now isn't the time to be worrying about that. Isn't that right…shopkeeper?" Behind her appeared a familiar man with an old green and white stripped hat.

"Everything's all done on my end," said Kisuke with a devilish smirk.

-x-

"Today is the day!" cheered Koto into her mike. She was standing in the middle of the arena for the final matches of the chunin exam. The area was like a clearing. There were several trees, a small pond, and not much else. All around were large walls meant to keep the thousands of spectators safe from any jutsu that might miss. Standing in a straight line were all of the genin who were going to be fighting, including Sasuke. The Hokage had made it very, very clear that if Sasuke was late by even a second then he would be disqualified. Speaking of the Hokage, both he and the Kazekage were sitting on a stand with a large screen TV above them for instant replays. "I'm your hostess with the mostest, Koto! Now before we begin, let me go over the rules. You are disqualified if you surrender, die, or if I say you you're done. And don't worry about me playing favorites because when it comes to fighting I'm completely neutral. Other than that, there are no rules, SO LETS HAVE A BLOODBATH!" The entire crowd sweat dropped when they heard her say that.

"Allow me to fill in for my partner," said Juri who was in the stands. "She _will_ stop any match when it looks like one of the combatants is about to die. However, there may be times when she will not have the chance. Still, should it look like one of the combatants is unable to continue the match will be stopped. Right, Koto?"

"Hai, hai," said Koto as she waved off Juri. "Don't worry; if they are unable to enjoy the pain of battle then I'll stop them." More sweat drops along with whispers that she might not be all there in the head. "Alright then! First match will be Rock Lee vs. Uzumaki Naruto. Everyone else please head to the competitors stand. The match will begin in just five minutes so everyone has until then to make their bets."

-x-

In a random bar, Tsunade was already making her bets.

"Put half a million on the Uzumaki gaki!" yelled Tsunade. Shizune began to weep.

"T-That money was supposed to pay a couple of our bills," she cried. Tsunade looked at her for a moment and grinned.

"I've got a good feeling about his one," she replied.

-x-

Now it was just Lee and Naruto standing in front of each other. Koto stood in between them as the wind blew, kicking up dirt as it did. The crowd, once loud as all hell, was now silent. Naruto smirked as he began to float several inches off the ground. Standing on one of the upper levels was Neji, who was holding onto a railing while gritting his teeth. He should have been the one down there and not Lee.

"Wow," Koto cried out with a blush. "The match hasn't even started yet and already the Kaze-shu is using his wind power. He must be as excited as I am right now!"

"That didn't sound right to me," muttered Juri.

"I have been training hard for this fight," said Lee as he got into his stance. "Let us give it our all!"

"Right back at ya," said Naruto.

"Hajime!" yelled Koto as she did a whirl. Instantly, Naruto shoot into the air and continued without any signs of stopping. "Oh wow. It's like Uzumaki-kun has become a rocket. Will he break the atmosphere?"

"Ah, isn't he out?" asked someone in the crowd. A small murmur began.

"Don't worry," said Koto. The crowd stopped talking and turned their attention on her. "According to the rules, you are only out of the arena when you touch any solid or liquid object outside of the arena. And air isn't either of them so as long as he doesn't touch anything then he's still in the game!"

Naruto continued to shoot up into the air until he reached the cloud line. He stopped, took a deep breath of fresh air, and looked down. Everything on the ground looked so small. Being up high always seems to have that effect on people, as if everyone's problems were so insignificant compared to the whole. But that never really crossed Naruto's mind as he thought about what he would do in this fight. From what he remembered about Lee during the two fights he had seen him in, he was a close range fighter who seemed to prefer to use taijutsu. A smile appeared on the blonds face as he knew what he had to do.

Down on the ground, Lee was watching the sky. He had done his best to prepare to fight an air born opponent. However, the best experience he had was mid-air combat training and jumping. But, he had faith in the training that his sensei had given him.

As Lee stared into the sky, he thought he saw something. A moment later he realized he was right because coming at him was Naruto and he was right in front of the sun, using it as a blinder. But Lee was ready for something like this. He jumped back to avoid Naruto's punch and then jumped right at him to give him a taste of his own medicine. Lee's fist connected with Naruto's face and Naruto then went…poof?

"Got ya," said a voice right behind Lee right before a leg flew into the boy's side. Lee slid over to the side rather than falling to the ground, turned and faced Naruto. "Have to admit that I didn't think that would take you down. Just had to see how you would react. After all, you know more about how I fight than I know about you."

"That maybe true," said Lee. "But it doesn't help me all that much." Lee then charged at Naruto who shot up to avoid the hit and then lowered himself again. Lee spun around and then once again charged at Naruto. The results were the same as Naruto simply shot up into the air and the lowered himself back down.

"Sorry," said Naruto. "But you're going to have to do better than that if you want to catch me." Lee then smirked which made Naruto feel a little uneasy as if he asked for something he really didn't want. Lee bent down and pulled out some leg weights from underneath his orange leg warmers and held them up for all to see. He then tossed them to the side and when they landed they made large craters in the dirt for objects of their sizes. One of them just happened to land near Koto and impact blew her back.

"Th-that was fricken sweet!" she exclaimed.

Naruto didn't seem to think so as Lee became a blur a half second later. Naruto tried to follow the green genins movements, but he was just too fast. Naruto then tried to get to a higher altitude, but Lee's fist impacted his stomach before he could move any higher. The force of the punch sent Naruto to the ground and he bounce on impact. Once that happened, Lee kicked him into the air and followed right behind him.

Naruto gritted his teeth in pain. He turned his head and saw that Lee was right below his. It was as if he were mirroring his movements. Naruto also noticed that Lee's bandages were beginning to unwrap themselves. Not knowing what would happen next, the Kaze-shu reached behind him to get to his supply pouch.

"This ends now, Naruto!" declared Lee as his bandages began to wrap themselves around Naruto. Lee then grabbed the sides of Naruto's shoulders and yelled "**Omote Renge!**" As soon as Lee yelled that the two of them began a spin dive towards the ground. The crowd seemed to react faster than the move could finish. Tsunade was already cursing her luck. Neji was eagerly waiting to see Naruto's head planted into the ground. Several people in the crowds were closing their eyes for what would happen next was sure to be brutal.

But to those how kept their eyes open, or just happen to be recording this program on Pay-Per-View, saw what really happened. The spinning object seemed to make a U-turn moments before it was to hit the ground and then went right back into the air. Then, without any warning, the spinning object split in two with Lee falling to the ground. After Lee hit the ground he rolled around and when he stopped he began to hold a wound on his side. A very bloody wound. Up in the air, Naruto was floating while holding the Raijin.

"Can we get a replay?" asked Koto. "And let's get a close up." The screen above the Kages box light up and began to replay the scene close up and in slow motion. Once they got to the point where Lee's attack was brought back into the air the crowd saw what had happened. A bright yellow light seemed to come out of Lee's side. Lee looked like he wanted to scream in pain as the light then moved to his side and then left his body as Naruto was freed. "Wow, what a shockingly brutal attack. In my book, Naruto-san gets extra points for cutting and electrocuting at the same time. And look at all that blood!"

"Why did I get partnered up with that sadist?" asked Juri to no one. But it was true what Koto said about the blood. Lee's spandex was now green and red. The bowl cut haired boy slowly managed to get to his feet while holding his wound, however it was clear to everyone that he was running low on strength. His legs were wobbly; he was panting hard, and had sweet pouring out of his body.

"Lee, just give up," yelled Tenten from the stands.

"He won't do that," said Gai who was sitting next to her.

"But sensei, he's already lost," exclaimed Tenten. "He can barely stand up right now and Naruto has a new weapon. He can't win!"

"I know that," said Gai in a tone that caused Tenten to back off slightly. "And Lee knows that as well. But Lee won't give up no matter how difficult this situation is because he is trying to prove something."

"Lee, I'll admit that you almost had me," said Naruto. "Had I been off by a few seconds, I'm sure I wouldn't be floating here right now. Not bad at all!" With that, Naruto gave Lee a thumbs up. Lee looked confused for a moment before returning the gesture.

"Thanks," said Lee as he tried to get back to his stand. But, as soon as he did he winced in pain. His body felt so heavy and his bones were sore. Still, that didn't stop him from charging as soon as Naruto was close enough to the ground. Lee threw a punch that was aimed for Naruto's face which was dodged as Naruto ducked under it and then returned the favor with an uppercut right to Lee's jaw.

"Wow," said Naruto as he looked at his fist and then back at Lee. "I'm surprised that worked. I guess that last attack took a lot out of you." As Naruto said that he put away the Raijin.

"No," said Lee as he slowly got back onto his feet. He then looked at Naruto with fierce determination in his eyes. _I can't just give up now! I was saving this for when I would face Neji, but I have to use it now! I have to protect my way of the shinobi!_ With that, Lee began to open up his chakra gates one by one.

"**Kaimon: Kai!**"

"**Kyūmon: Kai!**"

"**Seimon: Kai!**"

"**Shōmon: Kai!**"

"**Tomon: Kai!**"

As Lee released each gate, Naruto could notice a change with him. The bowl haired boys skin took one an orange like hue. Then, in a flash, Lee attacked. He rushed at Naruto at a speed the blond had not experienced yet and slammed his fist into him. Naruto was shot into the air and before he could get his bearings Lee appeared in front of him and punched him again. Again and again, Naruto was thrown around the arena due to Lee's punches until Lee grabbed Naruto's shirt and shouted "**Ura Renge!**" Lee was then about to deliver a punch and kick at the same time to finish that attack, but Naruto's shirt was cut by an invisible blade that freed him from Lee. Naruto then flew around Lee until he has behind him.

"Have you forgotten?" asked Naruto. "You may have the edge on the ground, but in the air I am at my strongest. **Fūton: Daitoppa!**" A powerful blast of wind then hit Lee's back and sent him crashing into the earth below with enough force to leave an imprint of the boy that was at least three feet deep.

"Wow," cheered Koto who was now jumping up and down like a little kid. "Maybe if we're lucky, every bone in Lee's body is broken!"

"Call the match!" yelled Juri.

"Fine, fine," grumbled Koto. "Ruin a girls good time. The winner of the first round is Uzumaki Naruto!" The crowd burst into a loud cheer while Naruto began to wave back at them. On the ground, medics were pulling Lee out of the Lee-shaped hole and putting him on a stretcher. Hanzo, who was once again watching this from his office, clapped his hands softly. Tsunade began to think about her next bet while Shizune's jaw dropped to the ground.

-x-

"Sechs-kun," called out Elf as she looked for Sechs in the training fields. She called his name several times before she found him on one knee with his Titan Blade resting on one shoulder. He had been out in the training fields since he got his new arm and had been training with another new item he had acquired from Hanzo for his rematch with Naruto. Slowly he turned his head to face her.

"What do you want?" he demanded as he wiped away some sweat.

"Naruto-san won the first match," she said. Sechs turned his head away and then stood up.

"Why the hell are you telling me something I already knew?" he asked. Elf looked around for a portable TV set or anything that could have told Sechs that Naruto had won. However, she found nothing.

"How did you know?" she asked. While she couldn't see it, Sechs grinned.

"Because I've faced him before," replied Sechs.

-x-

"Alright," announce Koto as the crowd began to settle down. "The next match will be between…"

"This just in from the council," interrupted Juri which irritated Koto. "The lineup will continue as planned with the next match being Uzumaki Naruto against Shihōin Hinata. The match will begin immediately." The crowd then began to whisper to one another. In the past, it was very rare to have one person fight back to back. Not only that, they were to be given a short break if that were to happen. So, in short, this was very unusual.

"I have to object to this!" yelled Koto. "Article Seventeen: Section C of the official rule book says that a break will be given to any shinobi that has to fight in multiple rounds. As the ref, I can decide to either go onto the next match or give the winner a ten to fifteen minute break. What is happening now is a clear violation of the rules!"

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger," whined Juri. "Besides, they are invoking Section Zero which states that the council can interfere in any match as long as both of the shinobi belong to their village. Besides, if either one doesn't feel up to it, they have the option of quitting."

"Fine then!" yelled Koto. "Shihōin Hinata, please report to the arena."

"I'm already here," said a voice next to Koto. The ref jumped back a bit when she saw the pale eyed girl standing next to her.

"Oh, so you are," said Koto as she calmed down. She then cleared her throat as the two genins took their places. "We will now begin round two of the final part of the chunin exam. Are you both ready? Good! Hajime!"

As soon as she said that last part, both Naruto and Hinata rushed over to each other. Naruto made the first move which was a punch. Hinata countered it by using her arm to deflect the attack away from body. She then tried to kick Naruto but the boy caught it with his free hand. With no way to stop her next attack, Hinata landed a kick with her remaining leg. Naruto gritted his teeth and then delivered his own counter, a head but. Both of them then let go of each other and they then moved backwards to gain some distance.

"This is so wrong," said Ino. Around her were the rest of Teams Eight, Ten, and Gai along with their senseis. "Why are they fighting each other? I mean, we all know how much Hinata likes Naruto and that baka should at least have a clue about how she feels about him. So why doesn't one of them just give up?"

"Because they are both trying to prove something," said Kurenai. "Hinata was kicked out of her clan because they deemed her to be weak. Since then, she has worked hard to show them that they were wrong. It's mainly because of Naruto that she has been able to make such progress and, in a way, this match is her way of seeing just how far she has come."

"Don't forget about the council," said Asuma as he lit a new cigarette. "They're pissed at Hinata for beating Sasuke so easily and made them all look like liars on TV. Hiashi was most likely the one who thought of this idea. Hinata will have to fight someone she loves or back down and lose any chance at getting promoted during this exam. Naruto has to fight because if he doesn't, she might take it like he didn't want to hurt her because she is _still_ weak. And then the council will make the argument that Naruto shouldn't be promoted since he refused to fight someone due to an emotional bond."

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Tenten. Gai sighed.

"It is a most unyouthful thing," said Gai. "Let's say that Hinata decided to betray the village and Naruto was the closest one to reach her in time. He tries to reason with her, but she refuses and in the end gets away because Naruto refused to fight her. Such actions do not make good chunin and if Naruto were to demonstrate such actions then he would most likely not get promoted."

"It has happened before," said Kakashi who was reading an orange covered book.

"True," said Kurenai as she glanced over at the area where Hiashi was sitting. "But I have a feeling that someone else wanted this match up like this for personal reasons."

Back of the field, Naruto and Hinata were still going at it with close range combat. Naruto had so far landed at least three hits. However, Hinata was able to deliver at least double that in the form of kicks.

"I thought I asked you not to go easy on me," said Hinata as she avoided another attack from Naruto. She then used shunpo and appeared behind Naruto with her leg raised for an axe kick. Then, before the attack could connect, Naruto shot forward while being lifted about an inch off the ground. He then spun around and looked at Hinata.

"Maybe I'm not going easy on you," he said.

"I know you are," said Hinata as she got into her stance. "If you were taking this fight seriously then you would have been higher up for half this match or you would have used your favorite jutsu by now." Hinata then used shunpo again and appeared right in front of Naruto with her fist in his gut. Naruto was thrown back by this and Hinata prepared another kick that would hit him as soon as he hit the ground. Naruto had other plans because he defied gravity at the last second and shot up into the sky before Hinata could land her next blow. Once Naruto was high enough in the air to feel safe, he sat crossed legged in the air while holding his gut.

"Maybe I should take this up a notch," he said.

"Too late," said Hinata who had used shunpo to appear next to him in the air. Naruto, however, only slide over to the side and cause Hinata's attack to miss and the girl to fall to the ground. Hinata landed on all fours and then stood up and look at Naruto who had also taken up a standing position.

"Alright Hinata-chan," said Naruto as he held out both his arms and began to spin them. Soon, both his arms were decorated with a mini-tornado. "I won't hold anything back. Let's see how well you can handle this!"

"Wow!" cried out Koto. "It looks like the Kaze-shu can not only use the Sempuken on both arms, but at the same time as well. Does Hinata-chan have counter for this attack or will she be blown to pieces?" Upon hearing that, Hiashi let out a grin.

"Thank you Naruto," said Hinata as a white glow began to cover her body. Moments later that material on her shoulders and back seemed to disintegrate as the light seemed to intensify. Seeing that her jacket was now ruined, Hinata quickly took it off for the whole world to see. Ino just stared at Hinata whose assets were bigger than hers. In the past, Ino had encouraged Hinata to take off her jacket but now she wished that Hinata had never taken it off. "This is my best, **Shunkō!**" As she said the name, she aimed one of her arms at Naruto. "This jutsu is basically concentrates my chakra and allows me to fire it in a high-pressured blast. But, it's very difficult to control."

Naruto grinned as Hinata explained her attack and then did a loop in the air. His fists were aching to take on her attack.

"Alright then, let's have some fun!" yelled Naruto as he flew towards her. Hinata held back her attack for as long as possible. Then, when Naruto was halfway to her, Hinata unleashed her attack. There was a bright light that blinded everyone to what happened and when it faded both Hinata and Naruto were gone.

"Oh no!" cried Koto. "It appears that both contestants were destroyed in the attack!" Then, someone yelled out that Hinata was alright. Koto looked around and as that Hinata had been smashed into the side of the wall and about halfway up as well. Her eyes were half opened and she was dripping blood. "Well, there's one of them. So where is Naruto-kun?"

"Damn Hinata-chan, that was crazy!" yelled Naruto. Koto looked up and sure enough, Naruto was floating in the air. One of his twisters was missing but other than that he looked fine.

"Let's go back to the instant replay," said Koto. Once again, the giant scene showed what had happened. Moments before Hinata's attack hit Naruto the blond used a Sempuken to block the attack and tilted the airstream upward so that the blast would be deflect away from both of them. Well, most of it anyways.

Naruto stared at Hinata who was still in the wall. He then closed his eyes, let out a sigh, and then reopened. The look he had now was that of serious determination. He pointed his last Sempuken at Hinata and charged at her. As he did, Hinata let out a small smile. _Thank you Naruto-kun_, she thought. _I have always worked so hard in order to improve, just like you have. Now I see how far I still have to go in order to catch up with you. And when that happens, maybe you'll see me the same way I see you._

Hinata would have continued this thought process; however it was at that time that she lost consciousness. She then fell forward and down to the ground below her. Seeing this, Naruto deactivated his Sempuken and caught Hinata in his arms.

"Hey Hinata-chan," whispered Naruto. "You did great."

"It seems that Hinata is unable to continue," announced Koto. "The winner is Uzumaki Naruto."

xxx

Omake: The alternate fight

Naruto stood in front of Temari. Koto had just given the order to fight and both of them were studying the other.

_This should be easy_, thought Temari. _This guy has to be tired from that last match he had. All I have to do is keep my distance and I can win._ It was at that moment when Naruto shoot forward, surprising Temari. She reached for her fan, but it was too late. Naruto's palm touched her clothing and them he slid past her and fell on one knee in some of pose. The blond from Suna didn't understand what just happened as she turned around to attack him with her arms above her head.

Until she heard a ripping sound. A moment later, all of her clothing was cut to shreds leaving her exposed for everyone to see. The girl shrieked and began to do her best to cover herself.

"Well," said Koto. "I guess Temari-chan is unable to continue without any clothing. The winner is Uzumaki Naruto!"

NOW REVIEW!


	25. Chapter 25

Wow, where have I been? No, seriously, I have no idea where I have been. I remember writing the last chapter then these guys in white coats came and took me to this place with padded walls. Ok, you got me. I have really been working on other projects as well as starting up a nice relationship that has been…very nice. So slap yourself with a fish and hold on because I'm back and ready to make up for lost time.

I think I have an idea about what Madara is really planning. See, if one or two people were able to capture the biju, then I'm sure the villages will be able to handle them. Also, he's in a very weakened state. No, the Fourth Shinobi War will be Konoha vs. the Alliance. Madara ordered Zetsu to tell them about Sasuke after Danzo was found out and used Sasuke as a diversion for Danzo to escape. Right now he's probably half way back to the village while planning on how to keep his position. And that will mean war. Just his style too.

I will be asking for one thing. I need help with my special Halloween section that I like to put into the story. Also, I'm thinking of a new target. Please send me your ideas and I'll get the next chapter out before Halloween.

Let's ROCK! Oh, it's been so long since I said that.

-x-

"Welcome back," said Juri into her mike. "For those of you who are just tuning in, we are now starting round five of the chunin exam. In the first two rounds, victory went to Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Too bad the rest of the matches weren't as brutal," whined Koto who was in the middle of the arena floor. "In fact, ever since Naruto-kun fought, it has been a real snooze fest down here. Kankuro forfeited to Aburame Shino before the match even began. And the match between Nara Shikamaru and Temari, while interesting, lacked any bloodshed. What's a girl got to do to get a little blood down here?"

"That's enough Koto," snapped Juri. "Call the next match already!"

"Alright," mumbled Koto. "Spoil a girl's good time. The next match is Mitarashi Anko vs. Tsuchi Kin."

The two said girls appeared on the scene in an instant. As a wind blew across the field, they both drew their weapons. Anko pulled out her snake like blade, an Urumi, ready to fight with everything she had. She had waited long enough and Hinata was out of the exam. Now all she had to do was win this match in order to one up her rival in love. Kin, holding her scythe with a large bell attached to it by a chain, had her own reasons for wanting this to be over with. She knew that soon the invasion would start.

Yet, as she stood there, she was beginning to have her doubts. Orochimaru had cut off all contact with her. Also, she had no idea what had happened to her teammates. Not that she cared about them but what could happen to her in the near future. Maybe her leader had already taken them back to the village…and pigs had discovered how to fly! As loyal as she was, she knew that failure meant death. There was no escaping that cold hard truth. It was more than likely that she had been hung out to dry now that she no longer had a use other than stalling this exam. And she had no choice but to do it for she knew the fate of those who dared to defy Orochimaru.

"Are you both ready?" asked Koto. She received a nod from both of them. "Alright, hajime!" The two girls wasted not a second after hearing that. Kin rushed at Anko with a frontal attack. Anko, in response, sent her blade towards Kin. Her opponent smirked and moved to the side to avoid the attack. But with a flick of the wrist Anko manipulated her blade to turn around to attack Kin from behind.

Then Anko heard the sound of a bell ring. All of a sudden Kin vanished and the blade was heading right at Anko. She could have canceled the attack or send it elsewhere, but instead she dove to the side. Kin appeared moments later as she swung her scythe where Anko had been.

_So that's why Ino was freaking out during her match_, thought Anko as she quickly got up. _Genjutsu!_

"That was very impressive," said Kurenai with a slight nod.

"What is sensei?" asked Kiba.

"That girl Kin is combining kenjutsu with genjutsu," she explained. "Not an easy thing to do for someone so young. It must have something to do with that bell at the end of her weapon."

"That's right!" exclaimed Ino. "I heard a ringing sound just before I started seeing things!"

"Then why didn't we all see it?" asked Tenten. Kurenai shrugged.

"I would have to guess that its effectiveness is either due to range or the amount of people in the area," explained Kurenai. "If it covered too large of an area then the genjutsu might be weaker. Or she can only cast it on a certain number of people at a time. Or it could still be incomplete."

Back on the field, Anko was having similar thoughts. She was no genjutsu expert nor did she have any desire to study it. She was a close range fighter who loved pure combat and thought that genjutsu users were weak. People like that hide in the shadows and used their illusions to wear their opponents out and then attack them as soon as they were too weak to do anything else. Where was the fun in that? But all of that didn't mean that she couldn't figure some things out on her own. Her biggest clue had come from Ino's match. No one had seen Kin use any hand signs, yet Ino reacted like she had been under a genjutsu. The only explanation had to be that weapon of hers.

Kin, wanting to end the match quickly, charged at Anko and then leapt into the air. As she did she brought her scythe above her head to prepare for the final blow. Anko saw this and prepared herself to counter it when she heard the sound of a bell once more. Now, instead of one Kin, there were several all around her.

Kin thought that Anko would panic. Her genjutsu was simple and effective. Seals were carved into the staff and bell of her scythe which allowed her to move chakra into the bell and then release it into a genjutsu of her choice. All she had to do was think about what she wanted and her opponent would see it.

What happened next, however, caught her off guard. Anko swung her arm at one of the Kin's and her blade pierced it. Then, with a flick of the wrist the blade turned and attacked the next Kin. And then the next Kin. This continued until there was only one Kin left who had no choice but to block. In the nick of time, Kin blocked the blade the staff of her scythe thinking that its power was diminished. Sadly she was wrong as the blade cut through her scythe's staff and pierced her in the chest. She then fell to the ground while still holding onto the two pieces of her weapon.

"I may suck at genjutsu," said Anko, "but I do know how to handle multiple enemies!"

"It's not over yet," grunted Kin as she got on one knee. She then dropped what was left of her scythe and pulled out Anko's weapon from her chest. She then got on her feet and prepared to grab some senbon needles, but Anko yelled, "**Dokueki Tsuba no Jutsu!**" and sent several purple acidic balls at Kin. The Oto-nin tried to dodge them all, but one grazed her left arm and began to melt away the flesh that it had come into contact with.

Kin gritted her teeth in pain but refused to give up. She grabbed some senbon needles and began to throw them at Anko. So wild and random was her aim that Anko didn't even have to dodge one. Anko, in response, used her blade once one and stabbed Kin's left leg. Kin fell to the ground and then pulled the blade out of her leg.

"What a turnaround!" exclaimed Koto. "In a bloody fashion, Anko has completely turned the tables on Kin." It was true, Kin was covered in blood. Her chest, left arm and left leg were covered in blood. Also her hands were as well from pulling the blade out of her twice.

"That's what you think," said Kin as she got to one knee. "I've out you trapped!" Anko looked at her like she was nuts. Then, from behind her, she heard the sound of a bell ring. Anko whipped her head around and saw a senbon needle with a bell attached to it. She then scanned the ground and saw that it wasn't alone for there were at least a dozen on them. The next thing Anko knew was a ringing that was not that of one of those little bells, but that of a grand cathedral bell. No, it was like she was in the bell tower and hundreds of them were ringing at the same time. It was deafening. Anko's hands covered her ears in an attempt to block out the sound.

This was Kin's chance. She quickly got up and attempted to run at Anko. Well, it was more of a limp to tell the truth. But along the way, she picked up the bladed half of her scythe and when she got close enough to Anko she swung it at her. But as Kin swung it, the ringing stopped and Anko moved back before it could tear through her flesh. Her shirt, however, was a different matter. All that remained was her fishnet mesh undershirt that hid nothing.

"Damn that was close," muttered Anko as stood her ground. She looked around and noticed a few things in the stands that she didn't like. Like, for example, some of the looks she was getting from the younger men in the audience. However, when she looked at Naruto, she saw that his nose was dripping blood.

"This is the end," growled Kin. Once again, the ringing started up and Anko felt she had no choice but to cover her ears.

_Damn it_, thought Anko as Kin stumbled over to her. _I have to do something or else I'm finished!_ Once Kin got close enough, a kunai shot out of Anko's sleeve and Anko stabbed her side. However, at the same time Kin's attack made contact with Anko's shoulder. Moments later they were both on the ground.

"Is this it?" asked Koto. "A double knock out?"

"Come on Anko-chan!" yelled Naruto. "Get up!" Upon hearing that, Anko slowly stumbled onto all fours and then onto her feet.

"We have a winner!" cried Koto and she raised Anko's good arm.

-x-

Up in the crowd, Kiba was coming back from the bathroom. Seeing Anko without her shirt had caused him some…discomfort. The kind that shouldn't be noticed around women. So he had gone to the bathroom to calm down for a couple of minutes. On his way back, he noticed Haku standing by the railing.

"Hey Haku-chan," he called out. Haku noticed this and gave him a slight nod. "Been here long?'

"Of course," she said. "My cousin is in the finals after all."

"So, what do you think?" he asked. "Who do you think is going to be a chunin?"

"Well," began Haku. "It's tough to say. Hinata won't for making the match too personal. She cared more about proving something than winning. Anko won't if she doesn't quit before the next round. She's injured and will need treatment right away. Shikamaru is defiantly a chunin for his tactics and for knowing when to give up. Naruto-itoko might be able to become a chunin as well, but they might look poorly on him fighting back to back like that. It'll depend on the judges."

"But he won," said Kiba. "Isn't that what's most important?"

"No," said Haku as she shook her head. "What's the point if you complete a mission and your whole team is dead? Sometimes you have to know when to run away or not fight. Naruto-itoko hasn't reached his limit yet so it's still anyone's guess."

-x-

"And now it's time for the final match of the first round," said Juri. "Due to interference in the second part of the exam, Uchiha Sasuke has been allowed to take part in the final part of the exam. He will be facing off against Gaara. Who will win?"

"Save it Juri," said Koto. "Will Uchiha Sasuke and Gaara please report to the floor."

-x-

As soon as his name was called, Gaara turned and walked down the stairs and into the hallways that lead to the arena floor. He had been feeling better lately. Ever since Haku had stopped by, he had been sleeping better. All he did was eat one of the cookies that she had left and he was out like a light. Never before had he felt so refreshed. Sure he still had the dark circles around his eyes, but that was to be expected. As Gaara walked into the final passageway he was stopped by two Kusa-nin.

"Hey kid, our boss wants you to lose in this next match," said one of them.

"He bet a lot of money on the Uchiha to win," said the other.

"You're in my way," said Gaara. These two guys really annoyed him. Had he been his usual self, he would have killed them without saying a word. Right now, he was giving them a chance to walk away with their lives. Sadly, it seemed like they didn't care if they died.

"You little shit," said the first. "Don't you know anything? This exam is not about you. It's for the Daimyo's to gamble and gloat with each other. Now you're going to lose or else we'll make sure that you never make it outside. So what's it going to be?" Moments later, their screams were heard and then quickly silenced.

Moments later, both Gaara and Sasuke were facing each other. Both looked at each other with eyes that were ready to kill.

"Are you both ready?" asked Koto. "Alright, hajime!"

Gaara wasted no time. The cork in his gourd shot out and sand poured out of it. Moments later a Suna Bunshin of Gaara was created. Unlike what Naruto usually did, Sasuke had no problem seeing the difference between the two. Sasuke charged, aiming for the real Gaara, however the sand clone moved in and blocked the attack. And it didn't disappear. In fact, Sasuke's arm was stuck inside of it. For a moment at least. With great effort Sasuke pulled it out and backed away a bit.

"Seems your defense is as good as Kakashi said it would be," said Sasuke with a smirk. "But don't think that it'll be enough to keep you from me."

"Bold words," said Gaara. "You couldn't even make it to this round without someone helping you. You're nothing but a joke. You're barely even worth putting up an effort or even killing." At that, Sasuke growled.

"I'll show you," he snarled. Once again he charged at Gaara while doing hand signs this time. The Suna Bunshin moved to intercept the attack, but Sasuke jumped into the air and yelled, "**Kasei Handou!**" Moments later his foot was set a flame and he did heel drop right on the Suna Bunshin's head and destroyed it. "Never underestimate the power of the Uchiha clan!"

"That attack is similar to what Uzumaki uses," said Gaara while completely unaffected. "However, there are differences. First, you had to use hand signs. Also there is the difference in power between them. Your jutsu doesn't hold a candle to his." Sasuke was about to respond when the sand underneath him began to rise. "But that doesn't mean that I should let my guard down."

Sand was about to wrap around Sasuke when he suddenly vanished. Gaara's eyes widened in surprise for a moment. He then sensed Sasuke was right behind him. Gaara turned his head just in time to see Sasuke's foot being blocked by his sand. Sasuke vanished again and reappeared in front of him. Once again he attacked and was blocked by the sand. However, this time he got a little closer. Over and over Sasuke kept vanishing and reappearing to get a hit on Gaara and kept on failing. Finally he yelled "**Kasei Handou!**" and landed a flaming kick into Gaara's stomach. This sent Gaara flying in the air until his sand caught him and placed him gently on the ground. For the most part he was fine, but some of his sand armor had turned into glass.

"Still doubt my power?" demanded Sasuke.

"Yes," replied Gaara. "Had that been the Sempuken and it had landed a direct hit, I doubt that I would still be standing here. All you are is a cheap knock off."

Sand shot out from around Gaara and became like a whip that tried to attack the raven haired ninja. Sasuke, who had just recently learned how to move at these speeds, wasn't used to the strain it put on his body and didn't have the stamina to use it for long periods of time. So right now he was a little winded. But he refused to lose here.

As Gaara kept up the attack, he looked up for his sensei. He knew that soon the attack would begin and wanted to see how much longer it would be. All he needed was to look at his sensei and he would know. However, he saw someone else that made him stop looking. It was Haku. _What is she doing here? The invasion will begin soon_, he thought. _Damn it, she doesn't know! Why do I care so much? I have never given anyone else so much as a second thought before so why is she so different?_ As these thoughts continued, Gaara's assault seemed to slow down a bit. Finally, Sasuke was able to get a safe distance away. He then ran up the huge wall until he was halfway up.

_He's not even paying attention to me_, thought Sasuke. _Well it's time for him to learn that it's a bad idea to ignore an Uchiha!_ With that, Sasuke began a series of hand signs and when he finished it was as if he was holding lightning in his hand.

-x-

"That jutsu," muttered Gai. "I can't believe he taught the Uchiha that jutsu."

"What is it?" asked Tenten. Gai shook his head.

"It's Kakashi's one and only original jutsu," said Gai. "It is very powerful and difficult to control properly. Too much for someone so inexperience as Sasuke."

"That's rich coming from you," said Kakashi as he walked onto the scene. "Didn't you teach Lee two very dangerous jutsus that could kill him?"

"That's different," said Gai. "I taught him those over time and made sure that he would know only to use them properly. But Sasuke…"

"Is my student," said Kakashi.

-x-

Back with Sasuke, he was now racing towards Gaara. As he did, he left a path of destruction in his wake caused by the electricity in his hand. He then shot out his hand, raised to kill. "**Chidori!**" he yelled as he neared Gaara. However, before the attack could connect with Gaara, who hadn't been paying any attention to Sasuke, leapt to the side and avoided the attack. Everyone could only stare in amazement. It was unheard of.

Gaara ran to the wall and then up it. Soon he was with the spectators with one goal in mind. Several chunins tried to stop him but they were pushed away by his sand. Then his sand went for the target, Haku (as if you hadn't guessed it).

"Hey, let her go!" demanded Kiba as he glared at Gaara. However, Gaara didn't stay long as he and his captive made a hasty retreat. Sasuke followed him, fully intent on finishing their fight.

With the other combatants, Naruto was gripping the railing. What the hell was going on? Why did that guy just grab his last living family member? He was about to take off when all around the arena feathers seemed to drop from the sky. Suddenly, all his anger vanished and he fell asleep.

"What's going on?" demanded Koto as she watched everyone fall asleep. Suddenly Baki appeared in front of her. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Well, first off, why aren't you asleep?" he asked. Koto blinked.

"I'm a reporter," she said. "I don't rest until the job is done."

"That wasn't what I--" began Baki but his other two students appeared in front of him. He turned to them quickly. "What's going on with Gaara? The invasion has begun and he's running away?"

"W-We have no idea," stammered Kankuro.

"Well find him and bring him back," order Baki. "He's our secret weapon and the ace in this invasion." With that, his two students vanished.

"You heard it here live folks," said Koto into her mike. "Suna is attacking Konoha during the chunin exam. I can only imagine the bloodshed!"

-x-

Back with Naruto, he was just waking up thanks to Urahara. Shikamaru was next to him with a lump on his head.

"What happened to you?" asked Naruto.

"That's what he gets for faking being under a genjutsu," answered Urahara. "Anyways, the village is under attack. Sasuke is following Gaara who…"

"Who has Haku-itoko," finished Naruto. With that he shot into the air and sped off after Gaara.

Urahara sighed. He figured that this might happen. However, Naruto was their best shot at beating Gaara. After all, everyone else would be busy with the invasion. He was the lowest ranking person they could spare at the moment who had the power to take someone like that down. He then looked at Shikamaru and sighed again.

"Looks like you'll have to catch up and provide support," he said.

"Troublesome."

-x-

Please review!


	26. Chapter 26

Sakura confessed? What the hell? I forbid Naruto and Sakura from going you with each other! Forbid IT! I mean, she is only saying that so Naruto will stop trying to get back Sasuke. Why couldn't she just explain their decision instead of manipulating him? Also, she knows that Hinata is in love with him! How cruel. Let's all be thankful that Naruto saw through it.

Anyways, I promised another chapter by Halloween and sadly things came up. My bad. However, I only got one suggestion and most of the reviews weren't all that helpful. Please stop talking about my poor grammar or just saying good. At least tell me what parts you really liked.

Let's rock!

-x-

Neji awoke to find himself strapped to an iron chair. He looked around to find himself in a bare room with no discernable means of escape. He also noted that he couldn't move his head or close his eyes due to some strange devise. Every once and a while a light mist would be sprayed into his eyes to keep them hydrated.

What was going on? The last thing he remembered was at the chunin exam and then he blacked out. What could have happened?

Suddenly a small area of the wall opened up in front of him and revealed a T.V. It turned on and the face of a strange, creepy puppet dominated the screen. It wore a black suit, had black hair, and white skin. It looked at him with cruel eyes made of wood. Then, it spoke.

"**Hello Hyuuga Neji,"** it said. **"You don't know me, but I know you. You are a coward who believes that everything is predetermined, that nothing you do is of your own choosing. Well today we are going to put that believe to the test."**

Just then, a circular hole appeared in the corner of the room. As soon as it was open, Neji heard the sounds of machinery. Soon Neji realized that whatever machine he was hearing, its purpose was to lift something into the room. And whatever that something was, all Neji could tell was that it was a glass tube. But that wasn't all for what he soon saw nearly made him gasp in horror. Tenten was in the tube! Neji wanted to get out of the chair and get her out of there, but he couldn't due to the chair. Then, without warning, all the restraints on the chair released him automatically. Neji was about to get off of the cursed seat, but the puppet spoke once again.

"**At the bottom of that container is a pump that will fill that container full of water in less than five seconds. However, as long as you remain on that chair, it will not activate. Her life is now in your hands. Now, enjoy the ride."**

Neji wondered what that meant as he stared at the now blank TV. Suddenly the wall in front of him began to open up like a sliding door. As it did, Neji realized what the evil puppet meant; he was going to do something to make Neji want to get out of his seat. Well he wouldn't do it. Tenten was his teammate; there was no way he could let her die. Besides, how was torturing him or whatever supposed to prove that fate was wrong? Now the door was fully open and Neji could see what was in the room. Or rather who.

It was Hinata.

Rage and anger filled Neji as she stood there. He hated everything about her. The look of pity in her eyes as she looked at him. The way she spoke to him. The way she dressed. Everything about her pissed him off! She was so close and no one was around to stop him. He could kill her right now if he wanted to. And he did so much. He had lost too much because of her and the fate of the branch family.

Forgetting everything, Neji leapt out of his seat and lunged at the person who had once been his cousin. He brought back his hand than then did a palm trust aimed at her heart. Hinata never moved, never reacted at all. The attack hit…and she still didn't move. Frustration filled Neji as he tried to figure out what went wrong. She should have gone down from an attack like that. She should be dead. She…that's when Neji remembered Tenten. He turned around only to see Tenten floating in the water filled tube.

Dread and fear filled Neji as he fell to his hands and knees. He wanted to throw up, but didn't. He looked up at Tenten's body and wondered why. Why hadn't he just stayed on the chair? She could have lived in he had just keep his cool.

"**Do you understand now, Hyuuga Neji?"** asked Hinata in a voice that wasn't her own but that of the evil puppet. **"There is always a choice, there is always free will. People who talk of fate or destiny are those who want to excuse themselves from responsibility. That they are not the ones to blame for their actions or lack thereof. You could be trying to change the way your clan is, but instead you blame it on fate while you do nothing. And now someone else is dead because of the decision you have made."**

"If you hadn't have put her in that position then she would still be alive!" argued Neji.

"**That may be true, but the one who killed her is still you. And now you will suffer until your own death.**" With that, Hinata's body melted away until it was nothing but a puddle. Neji wondered what his opponent could do to make this situation worse when the wall began to twist. They twisted and changed and when they were done, Neji realized that he was in hell. He was in the 'It's a Small World' boat ride in Disney Land! All around him the childlike puppets sang that horrible song and it never ended!

Truly, this was hell.

-x-

Neji woke up with a start. One moment he was having some sort of hellish nightmare and the next he is staring at a shinobi who he has never seen before. Well, that's his best guess. After all, not all shinobi were the same uniform. For that, he had Gai as the perfect example. Even so, this blond haired shinobi with a cane looked too weird.

"Well," said Urahara as he pulled out a fan and began to use it. "Looks like even the pride of the Hyuuga clan fell for that genjutsu. Not surprising seeing that they were aiming to incapacitate most of the shinobi and civilians. Or could it be that you fell for it because your Byakugan is underdeveloped?"

Neji growled. He didn't like the way this man was talking to him. Like he was some kind of useless rookie. The nerve!

"What's going on?" he demanded. Urahara pointed his fan into the stadium. Neji turned his head to look and what he saw was a battlefield. Konoha shinobi were fighting both Oto and Suna shinobi. In some instances it was several vs. one. "I have to help!"

"Don't worry about this," said Urahara. "Someone like you would just get in the way." Neji glared at him, but he knew that this man was right. Most of the people out there were chunin and above. There were even members of ANBU fighting. All he would be was a distraction. "Besides, there's somewhere else you have to be. Right now Naruto is going off to get his cousin back from Gaara."

"You want me to back up a guy like him?" demanded Neji. Urahara looked down at him with a cold gaze.

"Who ever said anything about helping him?" asked Urahara. "I just want you to watch and see what happens. I have a feeling that it will be…life changing." And with that, Urahara vanished.

-x-

"Let's go, let's go!" cried Koto to her camera man. The two of them were on something that looked like a golf cart with a camera on top. As soon as she saw Naruto leave, she figured that he had to be going after Gaara. And something deep down told her that this would be the fight of the century. Well, there was also that fortune cookie that told her to follow her heart. Sure she was missing all the blood spilling back at the village, but Juri was covering it.

-x-

"This is Juri reporting from the chunin exams. Please, someone help me!" whined Juri. She wasn't like Kyoto at all who lived for violence and watching people beat each other to a bloody pulp. She had only taken this job so that she could find a rich man and marry him. Was that so wrong?

Elsewhere, several Oto-nins were walking through the village. Their job at the moment was to seek out anyone who could pose as a threat and kill them. After this was done, there were to make sure there were enough survivors for Orochimaru's experiments.

Suddenly, the wall of a building not too far ahead of them seemed to explode. The leader of the group cursed, thinking that one of their own men had just gotten careless. As the dust settled, a figure seemed to emerge. His long black hair stood up in several spikes with bells at the end of each spike. A thin scar went vertically over his other eye. He wore the standard jonin uniform with a sword at his side. And on his shoulder was a small pink haired girl.

"See Ken-chan," said Yachiru. "I told you I knew where we were going! There they are, there they are!"

"Yeah, I guess you were right this time," said Kenpachi as he licked his lips. "But I doubt that these three baka's will even be able to scratch me." At that, the three Oto-nins raised their kunai. "Well, it seems like they got some fight in them. Alright, I'll make this interesting and let you guys make the first move. I won't even dodge or block. COME AT ME!" Sadly, the three Oto-nins took him up on his offer. They all threw their kunai right at his heart. True to his word, Kenpachi never moved and allowed them to hit him. However, the all seemed to bounce of his bare chest. "Looks like I won't be getting a sweat from you guys." And with that, Kenpachi pulled out his sword.

-x-

Kankuro sat on a tree branch, sweating bullets as he tried to decide what to do. He had never seen Gaara act this way before. Not only had he disobeyed orders by leaving the village, he had also taken that chef with the horrible cooking skills. The Gaara he knew would have loved to be in the best place to kill as many as he could. But something had changed in him since he arrived in this village.

It had started when he had seen that Haku person. At first, Kankuro had thought it to be funny. However, looking back on it, he now realized how confused his brother really was. He knew nothing about loving others and what it was like to be in love. Perhaps he should have explained it to him and let him know what he was going through like a good brother should. Then there was that fight between Gaara and Sechs. Well, it was more about what happened after it with that crazy blond. He had no idea why, but even since that fight, Gaara had been in deep thought about him.

Sensing that someone was coming, Kankuro quickly pulled out Karasu. He then moved his puppet several yards ahead of him and readied all of its poisons and hidden weapons. In the distance, he could see someone coming at him fast. It took a moment before Kankuro realized that it was Naruto. Before Kankuro could say anything Naruto had pulled out the Raijin and slashed his puppet into two pieces before he could even blink. The blonde didn't even stop to finish him off, he just kept on going.

Kankuro fell backwards, his back hitting the tree. It was then that he realized that he had pissed his pants. He just laid there as others passed him by. For example, Sasuke, who had originally been following them, seemed to be trying to catch up with Naruto.

"He's a monster," was all the terrified puppeteer could say.

-x-

"Hurry up Anko," called out Hinata as they passed a shaken Kankuro. "He has to have gone this way."

"Of course he has," snapped Anko. "Anyways, you don't have to be here you know. I know you're still shaken up after your match against Naruto-kun. Hell, I don't even know how you're able to move right now!"

"I'm fine," insisted Hinata. Anko gave her a disagreeing look, but Hinata ignored it. True, her whole body ached and she felt like crap. But knowing that Naruto was out here trying to get back his cousin made her force her body to move. She then looked at Anko. "Are you sure you don't want to get a shirt?"

Anko looked down at her almost bare chest and shrugged.

"I'm good," she replied. "Besides, this feels kind of nice to go around shirtless. I really have to start doing this more."

Hinata groaned.

-x-

"Gaara-kun, why did you bring me here?" asked Haku. The two of them were somewhere deep in the forest. Exactly where, she had no clue in hell. All she knew was she was standing on a tree branch far from the village.

"I-I don't know," stammered Gaara as he clutched his head with both hands. He then let go of his head and grabbed Haku by her shoulders. "I don't know what is what anymore! Ever since the day I met you I haven't been myself. Whenever you're around I feel all nervous. The thought of you not liking me fills me with dread. The thought of you getting hurt makes me feel like my heart is getting pulled out! W-What is wrong with me?!"

Haku could only stare at the red head. Then, slowly, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around Gaara's head. His eyes widened, and then got even wider as she slowly pulled his head closer to her chest.

"Gaara-kun, has anyone ever told you about love?" asked Haku.

"M-My uncle did," stammered Gaara as tears rolled down his face. "I thought he loved me. But it was all a trick. He hated me like everyone else!" He suddenly pushed himself off of Haku. "Since then I have loved only myself! I won't love anyone else. And if what I am feeling now is love then there is only one thing to do!"

"Gaara-kun," began Haku. But she stopped as the sand in Gaara's gourd began to erupt from its container and merge with his skin. Soon, half of Gaara's face had changed into a creature with yellow eyes and wicked looking fangs. Also, one of Gaara's arms hand transformed as well making it look wicked and deadly.

"If you die then I'll only suffer for a little while," growled Gaara as he lunged at Haku. Haku held up her hands and prepared to create an ice wall to defend herself, but there was no need to. Naruto had flown into the scene and landed a punch on Gaara's transformed face, causing Gaara to be thrown to the side. However Gaara grew a sand tail and used it to catch a tree branch so he wouldn't be sent to the forest floor.

"This is Koto coming to you live as the face of the century is about to be fought," said Kyoto, who had just arrived on the scene. Her cameraman quickly got into position and the two were ready to roll. As they did, Neji, Hinata, Anko, Temari, and Sasuke all arrived as well. "It seems that Gaara had planned on killing Haku, Naruto-kun's cousin, out here in the wild like an animal. Luckily for her, Naruto has arrived just in the nick of time along with the rest of us! But now Gaara has become a creature found only in nightmares. Kaze-shu vs. Sabaku no Gaara, who will win?"

"She enjoys this too much," said Hinata.

"Teme!" growled Naruto. "What's your problem?" Gaara didn't respond with words. He instead raised an arm at Naruto. Well, I guess he did respond with words because he yelled, "**Suna Shuriken!**" and then dozens of sand balls came flying right out of his arm. Does that count? Anyways, Naruto responded by spinning his arm around while keeping his palm flat. Soon, an almost flat disk of wind appeared an inch off of Naruto's palm, taking the form of a shuriken. Naruto then brought his arm down and took a position that looked like he was about to throw a Frisbee. He then threw this wind shuriken at Gaara while yelling, "**Sempushuriken!**" The two attacks collided and canceled each other out.

"Naruto-itoko, he's just like me," called out Haku.

"Nani?" asked a confused Naruto.

"Someone he cared about and thought that he cared about him betrayed him," said Haku. "The same thing happened to me and my tou-san. But I found Zabuza-sama and moved on. But Gaara-kun wasn't able to find someone like that."

'_Great, so he's like this because of his crappy childhood,'_ thought Naruto. As the smoke cleared from the attack, Naruto saw that Gaara was almost completely transformed. Only his legs seemed to be still human while the rest of him looked like some kind of beast. _'Like a biju! I bet that's why he was alone and had people try to kill him! Is that what could have been me? And what's with this Gaara-kun stuff?'_

"I won't let you end my existence!" roared Gaara. He grabbed two trees and began to push his body backwards. He then used them to slingshot himself over to Naruto who flew into the air to avoid the attack. But Gaara's tail was able to reach him. It grabbed him by the leg and flung him to the ground. Gaara looked down and saw Naruto lying there in a crater.

"You think you can stop me?! My mother cursed me from birth. She knew this was my fate since before I was born! I am nothing but a self loving monster, just like she wanted!" Just then, Naruto poofed into a cloud of smoke and the only thing that was in the crater now was a log. Gaara turned to look for Naruto only to see him flying right at him with his newest jutsu. "**Rasengan!**" yelled Naruto as he shoved the blue sphere into Gaara's chest. The effect was immediate and Gaara was thrown spinning to the ground. When he landed he created a much larger crater.

"Gaara," said Naruto as he looked down at the fallen shinobi. "I know what it's like to have something trusted on you from birth. I know what it's like to be hated for something you never chose to do. I'm just like you, in more ways than you know. But when you stopped trying, that's when you gave up any chance of finding happiness!"

"Shut…up," wheezed Gaara. He slowly began to stand and as he did that he gave thanks to his sand for taking much of the blow. He probably had a couple broken ribs and some other injuries, but he was alive. If he hadn't made his sand denser than it had been before that attack of his, he would be dead. "You…understand nothing. You're…not alone. You…ARE WEAK!" With that, Gaara seemed to explode into the sky. Within seconds, Gaara had become a huge tanuki.

"Oh my Kami," cried Koto. "Does anyone realize what this means? Gaara is a jinchūriki, a container for a biju sealed within him." Then, to everyone's surprise, Naruto flew up and began to hover in front of Gaara who was now more like a pimple on the giant. "And it seems like Naruto-kun is going to be fighting that monster. I can only imagine the blood that will be spilled!"

"Now entertain me Uzumaki," said Gaara. "**Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu!**" As some as he did that, Gaara fell asleep and the horror that was Shukaku was released!

"I'm free!" cried the demon. "I'm free at last, thank Kami I'm free at last! Now I can do all the things I've waited to like peek at the girls in the hot spring!" At that, everyone face faulted. Well, everyone but Naruto who just had an eye twitch. "Now to take care of this pesky little…" Shukaku stopped in mid sentence as he stared at Naruto who just floated there. His eyes widened as he saw the resemblance on the man who had once kicked his large ass so many centuries ago. "Y-You! Can't be you, can't be! Long dead, long dead! Go away! **Fūton: Renkūdan!**"

Naruto could feel the chakra in that attack long before it hit him. Acting on pure instinct, Naruto began to spin his right arm around and created a twister around his fist. He yelled "**Sempuken!**" as he swung his fist at the air bullet and hoped for the best. What happened next was something no one had ever seen before. The two attacks seemed to fight for dominance while in midair, one trying to defeat the other.

On the ground, Sasuke watched with his Sharingan activate. _'This is impossible,'_ he thought_. 'I can see the color of their chakra and it's like Naruto's is trying to suck in the biju's chakra into the Sempuken.'_

-x-

Elsewhere, unknown to Naruto, something was going on with two people who would play an important role in the young blonde's life. With Tsunade, the stone around her neck began to glow. It was the same with Madara, whose stone was tied around his wrist. And elsewhere, the third and final stone glowed as well. But only Madara knew that, even if he still hadn't found it yet.

-x-

Whatever the intent of Naruto's attack was meant to do, it failed as the two attacks seemed to explode. Everyone on the ground hung on to whatever they could for dear life. Meanwhile, the two locked in battle were thrown back. Shukaku fell back a ways and landed on his ass while Naruto had been shot through three trees before landing on the ground.

"Hahaha," laughed Shukaku. "You try to trick me, trick me! Failed you did, failed!"

"Damn it," growled Naruto. He knew that the fox was slowly fixing his body, but it was hard to move right now. It took everything Naruto had just to get on his feet. "Looks like I'll need some help with this fight." With that, he bit his thumb and began to make a few hand signs before yelling "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" Moments later there was a huge cloud of smoke that covered the forest and when it vanished Naruto was standing on the head of a giant salamander.

"**Where am I?**" demanded the large salamander.

"Been awhile, hasn't it Ryuuza?" said Naruto.

"**Well if it isn't Naruto-kun**," said the old salamander in the same way a grandfather talks to a grandson. "**It's been awhile, hasn't it? So, why have you summoned me?**" It was then that Ryuuza saw Shukaku. "**Well, look at what we have here. If it isn't Shukaku. Been awhile since I faced the likes of his kind before. This could get interesting.**" Shukaku responded by yelling "**Fūton: Renkūdan!**" at them which Ryuuza dodged with just a bit of trouble. After all, he wasn't the same young salamander he had been back in the day.

"This is unbelievable," cried Koto. "It seems that Naruto can summon and not just anything but salamanders just like Hanzo-sama. Could we be looking at the birth of a new legend in the making?"

"**Naruto, let's do this old school style**," said Ryuuza. Naruto grinned as he placed both of his palms on the boss salamanders head. He then began to push his wind chakra into him as Ryuuza began to use his best fire jutsu. When it was ready they both yelled, "**Katon: ****Sanshōuo Inferuno no Jutsu!**"The high powered flames hit Shukaku who yelled out in pain. When the flames died, everyone was shocked to see that from the neck down was made of glass. Shukaku continued to scream as his head began to slide off the body and as it did, Naruto flew off Ryuuza's head. The blond made a dash in the air for Gaara and punched him in the face. Gaara woke up and immediately realized what was going on. Gaara then managed to twist his body so that he would land on a tree branch. Naruto did so as well, but with less grace.

Both eyed each other and saw that they were both running on empty. Both were panting, had plenty of blood stains, and had half closed eyes. Both neither one refused to give up.

"How did you know hitting me would release me from that jutsu?" asked Gaara.

"I didn't," replied Naruto which surprised Gaara. "I just wanted to get you back for taking my cousin."

"I see," said Gaara.

"Look, we both are almost out of chakra," said Naruto. "Let's finish this!" With that, both of them leapt off their branches as they slung their fists at the other. Gaara hit Naruto first, but his physical strength was not enough to stop Naruto's fist. Naruto's fist impacted Gaara's face and the Suna-nin was sent flying to the ground faster than Naruto could fall.

Once they were on the ground, Gaara just laid there staring at the sky. Slowly, he turned his head to look at where Naruto was only to see Naruto was slowly dragging his way to Gaara with just his chin. _'Why? What makes him keep going? I won't cease to exist! I won't!' _But even as he thought that, Naruto still continued to make his way over to Gaara. He closed his eyes and began to remember the past. People calling him a monster, telling him to die. He then opened his eyes and saw that Naruto was slowly gaining speed and beginning to lift himself up. Little did they know that Koto had been the first to find them and was having the last moments of this battle broadcasted.

"No!" cried a scared Gaara. "Stay away from me!"

"It's painful, isn't?" asked Naruto to a confused Gaara. "That feeling of being alone, I remember it. Being all alone from the start, with no one to help you. I was there, in that dark and lonely place until they came along. My friends. My family. They saved me from that place. And because of that, they mean more to me than anything else. That's why I have to stop you, before you hunt any of them!"

"But why?" asked Gaara.

"Because they are precious to me," said Naruto.

'_Was that it?'_ thought Gaara. Then, Gaara remembered something that Naruto had told him. About how much they were alike. '_Could it be that he holds a biju like me? Is that what separates us? I gave up while he refused to. He found what I wanted because he refused to give in, just like now.'_

"Stop it Naruto-itoko!" cried out Haku as she appeared on the scene. "It's over, you won!"

"Hey, only I'm allowed to call a match!" yelled Koto from her hiding spot from behind the bushes. This caused everyone to glare at her. Then Temari and Kankuro appeared on the scene in between Gaara and Naruto. Then Anko and Hinata appeared as well next to Naruto. Both sides looked ready to fight.

"Temari…Kankuro…that's enough," said Gaara. His siblings turned around and looked at him. "I give up."

'_I never thought I'd live to see this,'_ thought Kankuro. "Alright." With that, both he and Temari picked up Gaara and made their departure. As they made their way out of the forest, Gaara noticed a leaf sticking out of a pile of sand. It was an odd thing for him to notice, but it reminded him of Naruto. The blonde's words still echoed in his head and made him realize what he had to do now.

"Temari, Kankuro…I'm sorry," he said. Both Suna siblings were shocked to say the least. Gaara had never said that to them.

"Don't worry about it Gaara," said Kankuro.

"Oh and Kankuro," said Gaara. "Your pants are all wet." The jaws on both siblings dropped when they heard this. Then both Temari and Gaara began to laugh and Kankuro looked embarrassed as hell.

And back with Naruto…

"I declare Uzumaki Naruto the winner of this match," said Koto as she picked up the unconscious blond. "And his prize is to come home with me!"

"Let go of Naruto-kun!" yelled both Anko and Hinata.

"Why?" asked Kyoto. "It's not like he's your boyfriend!"

"Yes he is," said Anko with a smirk. "We've even kissed."

"Lair!" yelled Hinata. "Naruto-kun and I kissed. Now I'm taking him back home and treating his wounds." Hinata made a dash over to Kyoto and took hold of Naruto.

"I'm telling you I kissed him!" yelled Anko. She reached out and tried to take Naruto from Hinata, but Hinata jumped back to avoid her.

"Well so did I," said Hinata. Then, a thought came across her mind. "Wait a minute. Did we both kiss Naruto-kun?"

-x-

Looks like the girls found out! What will happen to Naruto next time? Oh, and we might even find out how Sarutobi did in his fight against Orochimaru. Also, a special thanks to my beta, Vorago Atrax, who spell checks and stuff for me.


	27. Chapter 27

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had some good holidays. Most of them had to have been better than mine. I also hope that everyone read my Christmas special that I have been planning for years. I lived the dream. Also I have just put up the second chapter of Lord Ravenwrath so if anyone is interested, please check it out. Finally, I am so happy that they are making new Slayers episodes that will be dubbed sometime this year. I have also heard that they have about 99% of the original cast back for it! I have also heard a rumor that they will be finishing up Inuyasha with new episodes as well.

Now, on to my rant! Sasuke has become a Quincy with his new Susanoo. How many upgrades can a character get in such a short amount of time? Naruto worked like hell in order to get Sage mode and all Sasuke needs is a little anger? Also, has anyone else noticed how much Sasuke is relying on his Mangekyō Sharingan since he got it? So far in his battle against Danzo he has used nothing but those eye techniques. Please let there be some justice and let Sasuke lose his sight soon!

Let's rock!

-x-

Hanzo walked towards the council chamber with a quickened pace. There were so many things to do due to the war that he was busy day and night. He had strategies to plan, troops to inspect, and many others things involved with fighting a war. But was he doing that? No. The council had called him from the front lines…again. In Hanzo's mind they were useless. Just a bunch of old fools who cared more about the money in their pocket then the lives of their shinobi. They were the greatest evil on this planet, politicians!

He had an idea on why they wanted to see him. Only a few days ago he had agreed to an alliance with a young group that wanted peace. Personally, peace didn't mean all that much to him. As long as there is conflict shinobi will be needed. And what will happen to all the shinobi once all the conflict is gone? What will they do? But if they could help end this war so they could start rebuilding sooner then he said why not get the countries to stop fighting for awhile.

Hanzo then came to the great iron doors of the council's chambers and opened them with a single push. The inside was lit with a few flickering candles. But even if there had been no light at all he could have easily seen that there were seven people in the room. Six council members and one other. And that other person caused Hanzo's eyes to narrow.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" demanded Hanzo as he pointed at Danzo.

"I see you haven't changed, Hanzo-sama," said Danzo. "No manners at all." Hanzo just glared at the one eyed shinobi. He hated Danzo and everything he stood for. Hanzo believed in fighting with all ones heart and soul while Danzo sought to create a soulless army.

"Hanzo," said one of the councilmen. "We have heard of the illegal alliance that you have made with Yahiko and his group. They are a threat to our way of life and they have the potential to rip this country in half."

"So what are you going to do?" demanded Hanzo as he glanced at Danzo. "Are you going to punish me and have one of your little puppets taking my position?" Hanzo tightened his grip and readied himself. The moment they made a move he would attack with everything he had. He remembered what it was like before he became the head of the shinobi. Back then their village was seen as a disgrace, a group of shinobi whose leader didn't do anything without the councils say so. But when Hanzo came to power things changed. Their shinobi got real educations, real equipment, and he made sure that they wouldn't be used as pawns to scum like them.

"No," said another councilman. "You are to help out our _real_ new ally, Danzo and his Root forces."

"Nani?!"

"We have made an alliance with Danzo in order to strengthen our position in the shinobi world," said another councilman. "They will help you eliminate this group assist us with the war. In return we will help him become the next Hokage."

Hanzo glared at them all and released a massive amount of chakra and killing intent. It was so powerful that a couple of the council members were blown backwards. Danzo began to sweat, yet he calmly walked over to Hanzo with a slight smirk. When he was close enough, Danzo leaned over and whispered in Hanzo's ear.

"Tell me, how is your family?"

In an instant Hanzo felt his world go cold. His eyes rested on Danzo as a cold sweat appeared on his body. He knew what Danzo was capable of; he should have expected something like this. If only he had known Danzo would be here then maybe…

"You bastard," was all Hanzo could say. Danzo said nothing for awhile as he kept walking out the door.

"Now, let's talk about how we are going to deal with the peaceful little group," he said. Gritting his teeth, Hanzo knew that however it went he would be the fall guy. He would be seen as the betrayer. But if it meant that his family would be safe then so be it.

Little did he know that what would happen in the days that would follow would give birth to Pein.

-x-

It had been only a handful of days since that attack on the village and almost everything was back to normal. Buildings were still being repaired, but life went on inside the village. Most of the people went about their daily duties while others worked to repair the village. However, there were some things that couldn't be repaired. One was the death of the Hokage. Almost everyone in the village mourned his death in their own way. Most left flowers on his casket and grave. Others drank to his memory. Jiraiya himself went to the old training grounds and remembered the days when he had just been a genin.

Speaking of the old pervert, he was currently working on his latest novel on a roof when two figures appeared behind him. He turned around and gave the two a small smile.

"How's it going, Jiraiya-sama?" said Urahara. Jiraiya nodded and turned back to his work.

"I know why you two are here," he said. "Tell those old fossils that I won't become the next Hokage."

"But isn't what Sarutobi-sama wanted?" asked Yoruichi.

"I might have been what he wanted, but not me," said Jiraiya with a sigh. "I'm too free spirited for something like that. Plus it would take me away from my current work."

"I can't wait," said Urahara with a perverted look on his face.

"Well someone has to take the job soon," said Yoruichi. "Sooner or later Danzo will make a pass for the title of Hokage. Then he'll have Naruto-kun, Anko-chan…and Hinata-chan."

"So he's after the disowned Hyuuga as well," said Jiraiya as he made a note of a hot girl he saw. "Makes sense, he's been trying to get a Hyuuga into his Root group since it was founded. Problem was that Hiashi, for all his faults, has kept a close eye on the clan making sure that they remained loyal to the clan and the village. For all we know, he might have had a hand in Hinata's kidnapping as some kind of under the table deal. I'm just glad that there was someone like you out there for here." He paused for a moment and then turned around and looked at Urahara. "And you for Naruto. Nice work, by the way."

"Someone had to teach him the basics," said Urahara as he took out a lollypop and began to lick it. "Kakashi sure has been absent when it came to Naruto. Did he hate his sensei that much?"

"No," said Jiraiya as he got up. "He hated the boys' mother that much." Yoruichi's eyes widened and Urahara dropped his candy. He hated Kushina? Was that even possible? "Don't worry about the title of Hokage. I know that there is one other who has the power and support to become Hokage. And all I need is one gaki to get her!"

-x-

Sasuke walked down the streets of the village with a scowl on his face. Kakashi had summoned him for some reason, but at the moment he didn't care. All around him he heard people talking about the chunin exam. How Naruto defeated two people back to back and then took on Gaara. It made him sick to hear people talking about that dobe like that.

As Sasuke walked down the street he passed by a book store with a magazine rack. As he was passing by, his eyes gazed at the covers until he saw one that made him stop in a cold sweat. On the cover of Teen Shinobi Magazine was a picture of Naruto with his Sempuken activated. Forgetting to meet with Kakashi, Sasuke quickly bought the magazine and went right to the article which had been about the chunin exams.

'_Every year the hidden villages allow several of their students to become genins,'_ it read. _'And this year, in Konohagakure, several rookies were allowed to partake in the biannual chunin exam. At the time it seemed like their sensei's had made a mistake to allow such a group to attend this difficult and deadly exam. However all doubts were eliminated as the three newest teams made in to the semifinals. Oddly enough, their most skilled shinobi was the one who was looked down upon the most._

'_Uzumaki Naruto, age 13, had been reported to be a less than average shinobi in terms of skill. Yet during the exam he showed above average skill winning matches against some of the contestants that had been reported to have much more experience or simply more skill.'_

The article continued with a list of Naruto's fights in great detail, his jutsus, and even how he fought Gaara. It then began to cover other things about Naruto that weren't about the chunin exams at all. For example, there was a small part about Haku. Then there was personal information about Naruto like his favorite foods, things he liked to do in his free time, and possible love interests. As Sasuke read, his grip on the paper tightened. His was just unfair. Why was the dope getting all this recognition while he, a member of the Uchiha clan was getting nothing? And when did Naruto learn a jutsu created by the Yondaime? Sasuke skipped to the end and what he read, he didn't like.

'_Several questions arise as to why such information was kept from the media about this genin. First of all, why did his sensei say that Uzumaki as the weakest member of the team? Why did the elders claim that their most promising genin was Uchiha Sasuke, who last in the semifinals and was only allowed to be in the finals by their grace? When did Hanzo-sama's interest in the Uzumaki begin? So far, the only answer given by the elders has been silence.'_

Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. He began to run with the magazine in his hand, but not to Kakashi. He needed answers, real ones and not just what Kakashi wanted to tell him. He needed to know more about Naruto and his clan so he could figure out how to defeat him. There had to be something special about him that allowed him to use the wind as well as he did, some clan based skill. And the best place for him to find any answers was the library.

It took Sasuke about ten minutes to get there. He entered the building and made his way down to the achieves which were in the basement. It held all sorts of newspaper clipping going back at least a hundred years. Also, there were many old books that had been 'collected' over the years. Many of them were about various clans all over the world. Others were about legends or wars. And perhaps there were a few on the theories behind some forbidden jutsus. There was no better place to learn about Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun," came a shrill cry behind Sasuke. He turned around and saw Sakura and sweat dropped. Time here had not been good on her. She had gained at least ten pounds, her skin had become a bit whiter, and she had some acne. "You came to see me!"

"Yeah," lied Sasuke and he looked away for a moment as hearts appeared around Sakura. "Sakura, I need your help."

"I'll do anything for you Sasuke-kun," she replied.

"Great," he replied. He then paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I saw something very odd. I was wondering if it was possible for a jutsu to absorb chakra."

"Well there are shinobi out there that have the ability to absorb chakra," said Sakura. "For example, the type of insect the Shino uses which eats chakra. There are also shinobi who can absorb chakra from either parts of their body or their whole body. In their cases, their chakra is somewhat special which allows them to bond with other people's chakra and then separate it from either their bodies or their jutsus. There are also jutsus out there that allow shinobi's to do this for a short amount of time."

"I see," said Sasuke. "But have you ever heard of someone who could drain chakra from something like a demon?" Sakura brought her hand to her chin and began to think about it for a while.

"Well," she began. "If you were talking about a biju, then there is a record of one person with that power. Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage, did have a power similar to that. However, he was only able to suppress their chakra. Ah, Sasuke-kun, why are you asking me these questions?"

"When I saw the dobe fight Gaara, he used his Sempuken against one of that things jutsus. While my Sharingan was activated, I was able to see the color of their chakras. And for a moment it appeared that the Sempuken was taking in some of Shukaku's chakra and then uses it against him. However, it seemed to fail for some reason."

"Well of course it did," said Sakura. "Naruto-baka was using it after all. I bet if you knew how to do the Sempuken then it would have worked!" A small smile appeared on Sasuke's face as he nodded. He was an Uchiha after all.

"Sakura, I need you to help me research," he said.

-x-

Naruto was panting hard as he pressed his body against the side of a building in an alley. His stomach growled, but he couldn't let that bother him now. There was a chance that either Anko or Hinata could be in the area. Since he had escaped from the hospital he had been spending most of his time in the sky in order to avoid the two girls. Both seemed to think that he was two timing them. Was it his fault that they kissed him on the same day?

Suddenly a hand appeared on his shoulder and Naruto flew up into the sky. Or rather he tried to, but the hand kept him grounded. Slowly, Naruto turned his head and saw that the one holding him to the earth was Jiraiya.

"Hey there gaki," he said with a grin. "I need you for a mission. It's to get…"

"I don't care," cried Naruto as he floated up so he was face to face with the pervert. "I'll go!"

-x-

The next day, Naruto and Jiraiya were in a small village. However, when they got there they could tell something was wrong. The town's people seemed to drag their feet and were contently looking behind them as if there were some kind of threat always lurking behind them. There was also an aura of depression that seemed to permeate the air itself.

"Something is wrong," said Jiraiya. "Where are all the pretty girls?" Naruto face faulted.

"That monster took them," said a nearby old man wearing a hooded robe.

"And you are?" asked Jiraiya.

"I am, or at least was, this town's mayor until he came," said the mayor. "It was several days ago when an evil nin came here. He had such a powerful reputation that we had to give him whatever he wanted. He took our money, our women, our food, and our Icha Icha."

"What an evil man," said Jiraiya as tears were flowing from his eyes like waterfalls. "How dare anyone steal another man's porn. Who is he?"

"The Kaze-shu!" declared the mayor was a glint in his eye. Naruto's jaw dropped and his eyes turned into dish plates. Then…he began to laugh. It wasn't a happy laugh, but an insane one. Both Jiraiya and the mayor took a step back from Naruto as his killer intent began to grow.

"Alright then," said a pissed off Naruto. "Take me to your Kaze-shu!"

Meanwhile, outside of the mayor's office as a familiar figure. He stood there dressed in black with black hair and one eyes. On his back was a folded weapon that, when it was extended it was like a double ended spear or pole arm. His right arm had been replaced by a bulky mechanical one.

"It's about time I made my return," said Sechs with a grin. He then lifted his mechanical arm into the air and made a fist. "It has been a long road to recovery but now I can finally have my rematch against Uzumaki. And then I'll begin my training to defeat Hanzo-sama!" With nothing less to say, Sechs ran right for the door and destroyed it with a single punch. He raced inside and then…he face faulted.

The person claiming to be the Kaze-shu was surrounded by every pretty girl from the ages 16-35. Each girl was dressed in bunny outfits and high heels. The Kaze-shu had long flowing blond hair, dark blue eyes, and a total of four whisker marks that looked a little too thick. He was dressed in the finest silk robes with a light blue sash and had a long sword next to him.

"Who are you?" he demanded in a silky smooth voice.

"That's my line!" yelled Sechs as he pointed at the man in front of him. "Where the hell is Uzumaki!"

"I am Uzumaki Naruto," said the man as he stood up, revealing that he was at least six feet tall. "Also known far and wide as the Kaze-shu." Sechs just sighed, turned around, and began to walk away while shaking his head in disgust.

"I can't believe that I came here," he muttered. "I knew I should have gone to Konohagakure instead of listening to that rumor. Man, what was I thinking?" Suddenly the ground next to him was slashed by some invisible force. Sechs quickly turned around and saw that the fake Kaze-shu had drawn his sword. He stood there, holding it with both arms and his eyes locked on Sechs.

"How dare you turn your back on me?" he demanded. "It looks like I'll have to use Raijin to teach you a lesson!" He then made a slashing motion at Sechs. A half second later, Sechs was cut in half. Well, until he went puff and was replaced by a log. "Nani?"

"Is that the best you got?" demanded Sechs voice. The fake turned his attention to the ceiling and there he was, standing upside down. Sechs then pointed an anger finger at the fake. "Let's get something straight! You aren't the real deal. The Kaze-shu the I fought has a blade of lightning and uses the wind for close range combat. He's also a spiky haired midget! Kami, didn't you see him on television during the chunin exam?"

"Ah, excuse me," said one of the girls. "We don't get cable in this area."

"Forget that," said another girl. "Are you telling me that we have been afraid of a fake for the last several weeks?" Sechs nodded until the fake began to laugh.

"It is you who fought a fake," said the fake. "There is only one person who Sanshouo no Hanzo gave the title of Kaze-shu to and that is me. Once I kill you I will silence that lying tongue of yours!" With that the fake slashed at Sechs once again and sent what looked like a large blade shaped burst of wind at Sechs who simply released his chakra to avoid it. But the fake didn't stop there. He had already sent another wind slash at the area where Sechs would land. Sechs smirked as he realized this and pulled out his blade and began to spin it. He then yelled "**Kakijiten!**" as flames burst out from the blades. Sechs then adjusted his fall so that his weapon would reach the ground, and the oncoming attack, first. And while wind is best suited for cutting, it was still weak against fire! The two attacks connected and the flying wind blade burst into flames as the Titan Blade pierced the floor with Sechs held onto it upside down.

Sechs quickly got his feet back onto the ground and was about to attack when they both heard someone yell, "**Sempuken!**" from outside. Then they both heard the sound of a fist and a yelp of pain.

"What was that for Ero-sennin?" yelled Naruto's voice.

"Think gaki," yelled an older voice that Sechs didn't know. "You might hurt all the pretty women in there!"

"I just wanted to make a cool entrance," muttered Naruto. Moments later the two of them had walked through the entrance and stood facing the fake. Naruto, it seemed, was still sulking a bit as he had his arms crossed and was looking away from Jiraiya.

"It seems that more fools dare to challenge the power of the Kaze-shu," declared the fake as he readied his sword. Naruto looked over at him and then at Sechs. Naruto rushed over to the Ame-nin and began to stare at his new arm.

"Wow," cried Naruto as his eye lit up. "That's so cool!"

"Hey focus," barked Sechs. He then turned to look at Jiraiya who was still standing at the door. "Hey, who's the old guy?"

"You mean Ero-sennin?" asked Naruto.

"Don't call me that!" yelled Jiraiya. "I am Jiraiya of the Sannin!" Sechs nodded and turned back to the standoff. He was about to attack when Naruto took several steps forward. Sechs eyed him for a moment and then relaxed a bit. He understood what Naruto wanted. This was about his honor and name. He had to finish this fight himself.

"So you're the baka who has been using my name," said Naruto as he made a crossed shaped seal. "Now it's time to pay! **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" Four more Naruto's appeared and then all five of them took out their Raijins and activated them. The fake began to tremble and sweat as all five of them flew towards him.

_It's as if they are flying at me instead of leaping through the air_, thought the fake. _Could he be the real one?_ With a scream, the fake launched the same wind attack as he had been using against Sechs. Whoever all of the Naruto's dodged it with ease. He tried to attack again but it was too late. Four of the Naruto's parried with sword with their own. Now, while his sword did have wind charka surging through it, it was still no match for four Raijins. Not only was his sword destroyed but he also received a nice electric shock. And as he fell to the floor the clones vanished. Behind him was the real Naruto with his Raijin pointed at his back.

"Alright now," said Naruto. "I think it's time that you told everyone here the truth!" The fake said nothing but he did smirk which confused Naruto. Then something fell out of his sleeve. Naruto looked down and realized it to be a flash tag. Moments later the room was bathed in blinding white light. When it was over and everyone could see again the fake had vanished. "Where the hell did he go?"

"Never mind that now Naruto," said Jiraiya. "We don't have time to go on a man hunt. Trust me, people like that usually get what they deserve." Jiraiya then began to blush and had a perverted grin on his face. He walked past Sechs and Naruto and went straight to the girls. "Hello ladies. Now who wants a date with the great Jiraiya?" Before they could answer or call him a pervert, both Naruto and Sechs kicked him upside the head.

-x-

Meanwhile, the fake Naruto was running out of the village at top speed. He had no idea that the real Uzumaki Naruto would show up. His plan had been so perfect to. He had found this village that had heard rumors about him and had a general idea of what he looked like. All he had to do was add some whisker marks and use a couple of wind jutsus and the people believed that he was the real deal. For the last several weeks he ruled that village with an iron fist and had everything he ever wanted. Until they showed up!

As he raced down the road, his thoughts were only on figuring out his next target. Sadly because of this the fake ran into someone and was knocked to the ground.

"Watch where you're going," said the man he bumped into.

"Watch yourself," said the fake who had not bothered to look up. "You're messing with Uzumaki Naruto, the Kaze-shu." The man began to laugh and the fake finally looked up. It was Kisame! And next to him was Itachi!

"See Itachi," said Kisame as he looked over at Itachi. "I knew following that rumor was a good idea." Itachi squinted at the fake and then sighed.

"Is it really him?" he asked aloud. "No matter. We'll confirm it later. And if it's not him then we'll just have to go to Konohagakure." The last thing the fake was Itachi's Sharingan before the whole world went dark.

-x-

"Konohamaru," yelled Udon as he raced towards Konohamaru and Moegi.

"What's up Udon?" asked Konohamaru.

"You've been looking for the boss, right?" asked Udon as he stopped to catch his breath.

"Hai," cried Konohamaru. "I need to tell him what me and Hanabi-chan found. So where is he?"

"Yes, where is Naruto-kun," came a somewhat sweet voice behind Konohamaru and Moegi. The two turned around and Udon began to back away. It was Anko and Hinata!


	28. Chapter 28

Time to stop the complaints! Seriously, I can't concentrate on my work on Lord Ravenwrath while I keep getting people asking for my other updates. I'm sorry by Lord Ravenwrath is starting to get really good and it is filling up my mind. I have seriously never felt like this before! I see it, I feel it, and I find myself mouthing the words while I'm at work. Maybe I better see a doctor! Tell you what; more reviews to Lord Ravenwrath will equal faster updates on my other stories. I think it's fair.

Now for my rant. Been awhile hasn't it. I have to say that Sakura can still be so stupid. I mean, she left Kiba, Lee, and Sai behind to try and take out Sasuke all by herself. And using that 'I want to be with you' bit was just sad. If I had planned it, Sakura would distract Sasuke while the other three attack him together. At least Karin has seen the light and escaped the darkness created by Sasuke's ego. Oh, Naruto, there is another option and that is locking Sasuke up for good after removing his eyes with rusty tweezers. And finally, how come Sasuke gets everything so easily? We have seen Naruto battling his inner demons and all Sasuke has to do is get a little angrier? At least Naruto finally meets his mom, but I had thought if he was going to be meeting anyone in there it would have been Jiraiya. She seems to be a mix of Tsunade and Hinata. I mean, she has a similar history as Hinata, getting kidnapped and all (by the same people), and she seems to be just as nice. As for Tsunade, she doesn't allow anyone to mock her and lets them walk away with their teeth.

Let's rock!

-x-

Tsunade stood before her old sensei in his office. The weather outside was nice despite the current situation. The war had been going on for years and with no sign that it would let up soon. Even Jiraiya had come back to the village to help out and try some of the genin. And yet, gazing out the window of this office, everything seemed right with the world.

"Tsunade," said Sarutobi as he scanned a document. "I have called you here for an important mission. No, I guess mission is the wrong term for this task." Tsunade blinked, clearly curious as to what he was getting at.

"Whatever it is sensei I can handle it," she said proudly. After all, she was related to the past two Hokages. Whatever the village needed done she would do it for she believed in what their village stood for.

"That's good," said Sarutobi as he set down the papers and leaned back in his chair. "The matter has to do with the Uzumaki clan. Have you heard of them?"

"Only in passing and on some mission reports," said Tsunade. "They are the founding clan in Uzugakure and are said to be powerful wind users. They have no strict fighting style and seem to prefer the element of surprise in battle. Their methods are random at best and are very loud." Tsunade paused for a moment. "Sensei, why are you asking me about them? Don't tell me that they…"

"Relax," said Sarutobi as he waved her off. "No, they haven't allied themselves with our enemies. I asked you what you knew about them because your grandfather seemed to know them very well. In fact, he once told me that the Senju clan and the Uzumaki clan have know each other since their founding dating back well over a thousand years ago. Now it seems that they are no more."

"W-What happened sensei?" asked Tsunade nervously.

"Kyuubi attacked them," said the Hokage simply. Tsunade's eyes widened in fear and horror at that sound of that name. The most powerful creature ever to walk the earth had attacked them and most likely left no survivors. Kyuubi was like a natural disaster that could alter nature just by whipping one of its nine tails. How could anyone survive such an attack? "There were survivors," continued the Hokage. "And one of the last of the Uzumaki line has come here and asked to become a part of the village. I would like it if you would watch over her for the time being."

"Now wait just a moment," said Tsunade but she got no further. A knock on the door interrupted her protests and then it opened. Tsunade turned around to see a red haired girl wearing an orange and black jumpsuit with the sleeves missing. She seemed to be a little chubby, but not overly fat. Her head was down and she seemed to be carrying a present wrapped up in a bright red bow.

"A gift for my honored sensei," she said as she kept her head down. Tsunade felt a twinge of guilt. She was about to reject this poor girl who had lost everything to a monster. No telling how many brothers or sisters she once had. Deep down, Tsunade knew if anything ever happened to her own brother she would fall apart.

"Thank you," said Tsunade as she took the surprising light gift from her. She opened the gift, looked inside, and saw…a tag? A moment later the tag went poof and a cream pie flew into Tsunade's face. And before she could say anything Kushina had fallen over laughing.

"Oh man, I didn't know how much longer I could have lasted with the good girl act," she laughed while pointing at Tsunade. "The look on your face was just priceless!" Kushina looked up and saw that Tsunade's face was not only covered with cream but tick marks as well. In addition her face was burning red with rage.

"TIME TO DIE GAKI!" screamed Tsunade as she focused all her chakra into her fist. And then…Tsunade awoke. Her opens opened and stared at the wall to her side while her head continued to lie on the table. She was in a bar next to a casino. After having won a lot of money on the chunin exams, Shizune had taken the winnings and was able to get them squared off with most of her loan sharks. Personally, Tsunade wanted to pay them off all at once but her assistant put her foot down. So here they were, trying to gamble the last of the money that they needed.

That was until Orochimaru had showed up. He shows up, destroys a castle to get her attention, and then asks her to heal his arms. The nerve of him! But what struck Tsunade was what he was willing to pay her. If Tsunade healed him then he would revive both her dead brother and lover. Now she was caught between a rock and a hard place; heal a monster for personal gain or let the one chance to get back those she lost slip away forever. So, while she was using the time he had given her to decide, she decided to do what most people do in this situation: get drunk.

"Dreaming on me hime?" asked a familiar and lecherous voice that caused Tsunade to sit straight up. Sure enough Jiraiya was sitting right in front of her with his famous grin on his face.

"Maybe that's why I awoke with a start," said Tsunade as she looked away. "Nightmares do that to a person."

"Same as always," said Jiraiya as he took a sip on his drink.

"Just get on with it," said Tsunade with a little aggression. "Why did you track me down?"

"It isn't really tracking when it only takes a week to find a person like you," said Jiraiya. "I heard all about your recent winnings and I know your habits better than anyone else. So finding you was a piece of cake. But you're right; I should just get to the point." Jiraiya then stared at her, all humor gone. "We need you to become Hokage."

"No," said Tsunade. "I swore I'd never go back to that place again. And you above all people should know the reason why I can't become Hokage! Because it was…" Tsunade broke off as she remembered those two closest to her heart. Those who had dried before their dream could come true. She then looked back at Jiraiya. "How could you even think to ask me something like that?"

Jiraiya had planned to tell her that he was simply the worst choice. Maybe joke about it and claim that he might have taken the job if the old fossils known to everyone else as the Hokages advisers were gone. But, in all seriousness, he had to let her know the truth. He was related to the first two Hokages and was a student of the Sandaime. She had great people and she cared deeply about others. If she didn't, she would never have left the village and began this path of self destruction thinking that she was to blame for their deaths. He would also tell her about the benefits of the job like starting up that medical program she wanted. But what happened next stopped him.

"Don't eat all the food you blond baka!" roared a voice from behind the pervert. Tsunade looked at the table in front of her to find the person who was being so loud. The first two had their backs facing her. One was Shizune, like she could ever mistake anyone else for her. The other one was much younger with black hair as well. Figuring it was him that was making all the noise, Tsunade prepared to yell at him when she caught sight of the third person at the table. Her eyes widened and she gulped loudly. He looked almost like Nawaki and Minato. She had seen him on TV, but she'd never think that she'd meet him in real life!

"Is that your game plan," demanded Tsunade. "By bringing _him_ along? The answer is still no!"

"Hey lady, keep it down," said Sechs as he looked behind him. He looked Tsunade over once and then sighed. "So this is the famous Tsunade that I have heard about. An old hag hiding behind a genjutsu?"

"Care to say that again?" demanded Tsunade as tick marks appeared over her face.

"She should really act her age," commented Naruto as he took a bite of his food. "She should be in a rocking chair sipping tea or something." Shizune gulped and tried to signal the two boys to shut their mouths unless they want to see what she was like pissed off. And she really, really didn't want to pay for the damages Tsunade would cause to the bar.

"At least her genjutsu is nice to look at," commented Sechs as he turned to face Naruto again. "I bet underneath that illusion she's really wrinkly and flat chested." Lightning flashed in the bar and a very dark aura surrounded Tsunade. It was so dark the even Kyuubi began to whimper like a frightened puppy. The next thing that the two boys knew was that they were blown through the wall of the bar. Tsunade then walked through the hole she had made in the wall when she threw the two of them and picked them up by the collar of their shirts.

"You two have some nerve to insult me," she said with fire in her eyes. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Just a Baa-chan who _used _to be someone people could look up to," said Naruto. "But I don't see someone who was one of the Sannin, all I see is a drunk." Tsunade glared at him and dropped Sechs. Either the blond had guts, a death wish, or as a complete baka she had no clue. Naruto then continued to say what was on his mind. "I don't even think you deserve to be Hokage."

"That's good because I don't want that job," snarled Tsunade. "It's a job for fools who die soon after!" Naruto's eyes suddenly hardened and he grabbed Tsunade by her wrist. He tightened his grip and soon became lighter. It didn't take long for Tsunade to realize he was floating in midair.

"I don't mind you getting angry at what I said earlier," he said. "I don't mind the punch you gave me or holding me up like you were. But don't you ever insult the title of Hokage in front of me!"

"And why not?" demanded Tsunade. "I know who you are. I know what that village did to you at birth. I know how they have treated you in the past. It's the same wherever you go and it's never pretty. So why does the title of Hokage mean so much to you?"

"Because of Oji-san," said Naruto. "He was the person who believed in me and helped me start my training. He was the one who taught me how to read and write. He stood up to a teme who kicked his own daughter on the streets. He's did his best to see that I had a chance to make friends and as close to a normal life as I could. And, in the end, he gave his life to protect the village just like the Yondiame did. And don't think that's the only reason why the title of Hokage means something to me." Suddenly the wind began to pick up. It began to spin around Naruto and Tsunade and he glared at her with a look of sheer determination. "Becoming Hokage is my dream!"

Tsunade was at a loss for words. The same look and the same words as Dan and Nawaki. She could almost see them standing behind Naruto, all of them giving her that look of determination. This only caused Tsunade to become irritated as she gritted her teeth. But before she could say anything or do anything, someone yelled out "**Sen'eijashu!**" and several large snakes appeared in her line of vision. Tsunade let go of Naruto and jumped back, thinking that the attack was meant for her. But the snakes wrapped around Naruto and he seemed to drop to the ground.

"No more running Naruto-kun," said Anko as she walked towards the fallen blond who was sweating bullets. A moment later, Hinata appeared next to Anko.

"Please Naruto-kun, we need you to give us an answer," said Hinata is a pleading voice.

"H-How did you find me," asked Naruto.

"I got to use the skills I learned from Ibiki-sensei," said Anko as she licked her lips.

-Flashback-

Udon was tied up to a tried, too scared to move. Normally he be struggling to get free but not in this situation. In class they had been going over means to escape, but in class they had used ropes not snakes! Anko was standing next to him with her kunai lightly brushing against his cheek.

"Alright worm," said Anko with a grin. "Tell us where Naruto-kun went and this will all be over."

"I-I won't," stammered Udon. "I won't betray m-my friend."

"Alright then," said Anko with a sigh as she began to walk away. "You leave us no choice." That was when Hinata walked into view. Her hands were brought together and Udon could see tears in her eyes.

"Please Udon-kun," she said in her sweetest voice. "Tell us what happened to Naruto-kun"

"Ok," said Udon as a blush appeared on his face and a bit of blood came out of his nose.

-End flashback-

While Naruto began to get questioned by the two girls, with Sechs watching with an amused look on his face, Tsunade turned towards the bar to see Jiraiya standing there with his notepad out. Shizune was standing next to him going over the issue of Teen Shinobi that she had bought after she saw Naruto's face on it. According to her she just wanted to know more about the shinobi that had helped them win so much money. Also, she liked the ads.

"This brings me back," said Jiraiya with a small grin. "Minato was also a lady killer, but had more than just two girls chasing after him. But he's young so there's still time I guess."

Tsunade just sighed; most of her earlier anger had gone. Then an idea popped into her head. If all went right she could make some money and get Jiraiya off her back. Hell, even if she didn't win anything, they would be off her back!

"Hey Naruto," she called out as she got all of their attention. "How about we make a little bet?"

"What kind of bet?" asked the blond. Anko released him and allowed him to stand up.

"It's simple," said Tsunade with a smirk. "In Oni no Kuni, there is a tournament that is held every year that has been given the nickname the Second Chance Tournament. It was created for those who couldn't make it to the chunin exam or would simply like a redo. It allows shinobi to showcase their skills to a neutral party who then contact their villages with their opinion, thus allowing a shinobi to reach the rank of chunin. Also, many bounty hunter and other fighters compete as well to showcase their talents in front of potential clients as well as earn a name for themselves. First prize is an automatic promotion to chunin.

"Here is the bet. I want you to make it to the final round. If you can do that, I will admit that you can become Hokage and will become Hokage myself. However, if you should fail, then you must give up on your dream and leave me alone! I'll also throw in my necklace." As she said that last part, she pointed to the purple stone hanging from her neck.

"Tsunade-sama," gasped Shizune.

"That's fine with me," said Naruto. "But I won't just make to the final round, I'll win it!"

"Not so fast," said Sechs. "I'll also be entering this tournament. I can't think of a better stage to defeat you on than that!" While that was going on, Tsunade moved next to Jiraiya.

"Hey," she whispered into his ear. "What's that Ame-nin doing here?"

"He seems to be a rival of Naruto's," he whispered back. "But never mind that now, what are you thinking? You know that there are to seated jonin in the tournament that represent the host of this event. And you know the other reason for this exam!"

"Well it's too late now," said Tsunade as she turned her attention back to the genin. "Naruto has already agreed to this and a man should never back out of something that he gave his word to."

-x-

Sasuke was going over some of the notes he had obtained from Sakura. From the village registry, there had been only two Uzumaki's in the village. The first was Uzumaki Kushina and then his teammate. From what he could tell, Kushina had turned traitor even if the Hokage hadn't declared her a nuke-nin. Also, all scrolls found in her home were taken by the ANBU so that whatever skills she had weren't lost to the village. It took a little more digging, but Sasuke found that a person named Danzo was the person who had been in charge of her jutsu scroll recovery.

After he had looked at all the information from the registry, Sasuke began to look at anything that had the word Uzumaki in it. There were several mission reports that were open to the public that had accounts of meeting shinobi of the Uzumaki clan. All of them seemed to mention them using wing based jutsus and similar behavior patterns. But none of them mentioned what he had seen during Naruto's fight with Gaara!

Finally, Sasuke came to the beginning of the village's history and what he saw shocked him. Apparently, the Shodai Hokage had sent a letter asking the Uzumaki clan to join the village. Frantically, Sasuke began to search through the notes and copies he had for their response. This was important, he just knew it. Nearly all the clans in the village came from various areas in Hi no Kuni. Those that didn't came here of their own accord. But Sasuke never heard of any Hokage that asked, no begged, another clan to join the village. Finally, Sasuke found the letter from Uzumaki Haran.

'Hey Hashirama, been awhile hasn't it? Haven't heard from you since that time with Madara. How is the teme?

'Look, about joining your village, I'll have to take a pass. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great idea to unite the clans and create hidden villages. Hopefully this will lessen the death toll cause by the constant clan fighting. And I have nothing but respect for you. However, we can't have all three clan join together. Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki should remain separate for now or else we'll become too powerful and whatever balance there was will be gone. Should you ever need an ally, know that Uzugakure will stand by you until the danger is over.

'Don't be a stranger. Kiyone makes good ramen. And for you I will even pull out the good sake!'

Reading the note, Sasuke began to feel his eye twitch. It was so…Naruto like. Even at the bottom was a hand drawn picture of a chibi man make a 'V' sign and sticking out his tongue.

"Baka," Sasuke swore as his grip tightened.

-x-

Well, that's it for now. Next time, a shocking confession and the beginning of a tournament that will change everything! New friends will be made and old enemies will appear.


	29. Chapter 29

There was no Naruto last week, bummer! But chapter 499 does change something. I mean, I suspected that Naruto had some connection to the Rikudō Sennin. Now I feel even more certain now that I see Naruto's new seal and chakra form. Even Kyuubi saw it! And in this story, in case you haven't guessed by now, Naruto is a descendent of the Rikudō Sennin. And in chapter 500, Madara is super evil for trying to kill baby Naruto just after he was born! As for the other thing, I might add them and I might now. I mean things like Kushina being the last host and all that. I'll have to hear the whole story before I make anymore judgments.

Oh, check out these mangas. First is Lilim Kiss, it's a blast in so many ways! And if you want to see Sechs in his natural habitat, read Battle Angle Alita: Last Order. Last is Girl Saurus, the guy is living the dream but his fear keeps him from enjoying it!

Oh, and because so many people have accused me of this, just know that the devil tips his hat to me!

Let's rock!

-x-

"Welcome fight fans to the Oni Tournament!" exclaimed Koto who was standing in the middle of a giant arena. It was oval shaped, but the stands were made of wood instead of stone like many other arenas. Also the seating went from the ground level to the ninetieth with no barrier to protect them. Thus the higher level seats were the cheapest due to the health risks. The cameras were pointed at Koto who stood in the middle of a large stone circle. "I'm your referee Koto!"

"And I'm her partner Juri," said the other announcer. "Let's just hope that that this doesn't end up like the chunin exam."

"You were so lucky to be near all that beautiful death and violence," said Koto with a blush. "Just thinking of all the blood that was spilt makes my heart beat so fast!" Juri gave her a deadpanned expression.

"Sadist," muttered Juri. She then shook her head and got back to work. "Now for the tournament setup.

"Of the four hundred and seventy-seven contestants that signed up, only eight will be selected to compete," exclaimed Koto. "Everyone will be divided into eight groups and will then fight in battle royals in different locations. The last man standing will advance into the tournament and the rest will be taken to the hospital or placed six feet under. Also, two shinobi who are ranked as jonin will placed in the prelims to represent our hostess who will be awarding the grand prize!"

"And now, please welcome the hostess of the tournament, Shion-sama!" exclaimed Juri. A searchlight came to life and shined on a figure sitting on a silk cushion on a platform in the middle of the bleachers. She looked no older than 13 and had blond hair and lavender eyes that almost seemed to glow.

"She looks familiar," commented Naruto. Currently he was floating in the air with his legs crossed. Next to him was Sechs who had a bored look on his face.

"Not like I give a damn," replied the Ame-nin. Then, out of the corner of his only eye, Sechs saw Hinata and Anko beckoning them from an entrance way. Or rather Naruto. With a sigh Sechs gave the blond a nudge as Shion began to go over some of the rules in more detail. Once Sechs had the blonde's attention he jerked his head over to the girl's location.

Naruto sighed as he floated over towards them. He knew what they wanted to talk about: their relationship. He had been doing what all guys do in a difficult situation, ignore it and hope it goes away. Sadly, it didn't work this time. Once he and Sechs were in the entrance way Naruto set his feet on the ground and Sechs leaned against the wall. Like hell he was going to miss this show. Naruto's love life was better than cable!

"Alright Naruto-kun," said Anko at once. "We need an answer! No more stalling!"

"Please Naruto-kun," begged Hinata.

"Well," said Naruto with a blush as he scratched his cheek. "The truth is that I like you both the same." A moment later a kunai barely missed his other cheek and he was then grabbed by its owner.

"Do you think this is some kind of joke?" demanded Anko as a dozen tick marks appeared on her face. She was pissed! She had opened her heart to him and this is the answer that she got? On top of it she found out that this tournament was men only this year. The nerve! "How dare you! Both me and Hinata put our hearts on the line here to tell you how we feel. The least you could do was be honest and tell us who you liked better!"

"I am being honest," said Naruto nervously. "I like you both, but for different reasons. And besides, I-I never been on a date or anything in my life so it seems weird just to say I like someone better than the other. Right?"

"Why you-" began Anko as she pulled back her fist.

"Wait!" cried Hinata.

"Why should I?" demanded Anko as she paused on her assault.

"Because he's right," said Hinata. Anko raised an eyebrow as she lowered her fist. "We did confess, but the problem is that neither of us had ever been in anything close to romantic with him. All we do is train and hang out. So when we told him how we felt, it must have seemed out of the blue."

"So what are we supposed to do then?" demanded Anko as she let go of Naruto.

"We could both date him," said Hinata. Anko looked ready to object so Hinata decided that she'd better continue quickly. "We date him for awhile and then Naruto-kun can decide who he likes being with better. And in the end we can still be friends because we all did it fair and square." Anko sighed.

"I guess I can agree to that," said Anko.

Hinata smiled as Naruto nodded, happy that they weren't going to be fighting and treating him like a trophy. Little did he know that Hinata was smiling because she had scored the first point. She, not Anko, had found a way for Naruto to fairly pick who he wanted to be with and no one got hunt.

And that meant that Naruto was closer to becoming hers.

-x-

Awhile later, Naruto was walking towards his assigned fighting zone. After he had met with Anko and Hinata, he had returned to see that everyone was now drawing lots. Naruto had drawn 1 while Sechs got 6. Oddly enough, a lot of people were griping about getting those same numbers. It probably had something to do with what he had missed while talking to the girls.

When he finally got to his destination, Naruto found a large stone square shaped that he guessed was where he was going to be fighting on. However, there was only one other person there. He was shorter than Naruto and had slicked back black hair with several small bangs in the middle. He wore typical fisherman garments which included a long-sleeved turquoise shirt with short black tights that extend halfway down his shins and straw bottoms held up by a thin black belt. He also had a bag on his back and in his hand was a fishing pole.

"So, someone has the guts to fight the great Urashima Ura," declared the small man with a sinister looking grin. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he stepped into the ring. He really didn't like this guy and he had only said one sentence!

"Where is everyone else?" demanded Naruto. Ura began to laugh. It was a foul sounding laugh that made Naruto feel sick.

"You're the only one to show up," said Ura as he pointed at Naruto. "It seems that everyone else was afraid to face a jonin!"

"You're a jonin?" asked a wide eyed Naruto as he pointed at Ura. The fisherman nodded and Naruto fought back a laugh. All and all, this short man didn't seem all that powerful. But then again, neither did Kakashi at times. But at least Kakashi had size. And before Naruto could say anything Juri came onto the scene with a camera crew.

"Juri here and it seems that Uzumaki Naruto has decided not to listen to the advice of Shion-sama gave about fighting against Urashima Ura," she said as Naruto's jaw dropped. "Hajime!"

-x-

At that same moment, Sechs was also learning about what Shion had said for he was also fighting a jonin alone. Well, he was ranked as a jonin at least. The man standing before him was tall and muscular. He had thick crew cut blond hair that was kept up by a large white headband. On his upper body he wore sleeveless white jacket, although it was too small to cover his entire torso. His baggy bottoms were a burnt sienna color, engulfed at the bottom by his long black boots and held up at the top by a white belt.

"This is Koto here," said Koto. "It seems that Sechs was the only one brave or insane enough to face Momotaro Kuro. Will this brave genin survive or will Momotaro rip him into beautiful shreds of blood and guts. I can hardly wait! Hajime!"

"Hey kid," said Momotaro as he looked down on Sechs. "I'll tell you what; I'll let you have the first move. Not that it'll help much."

"Don't get too cocky teme," said Sechs as he unfolded his Titan Blade. Sechs then got into a charging stance. He had no idea what was going on in the mind of his opponent, nor what he could do, but there was only one way to find out. It might be dangerous, mainly because he suggested it, but then again he might just be cocky because he was facing a genin. Sechs yelled out "**Sechster Angriff!**" and then leapt towards Momotaro. As he went through the air, Sechs began to twist his body around while the Titan Blade seemed to move around his body. Sechs would do a summersault and the blade would travels from behind him, between his legs, and then across his body. Then Sechs would do a kick spin and the blade would spin around an arm or a leg.

Momotaro, who should have stayed still, dodged to the side. However, he wasn't fast enough to dodge the entire attack and ended up getting slashed on his arm. Blood shot out of the wound and Momotaro took a knee for a moment while dealing with the pain. Blood was dripping down his arm and Koto looked like she had seen the Fountain of Youth.

"Not bad kid," said Momotaro as he slowly got back to his feet. Sechs turned to face Momotaro and began to point angrily at him.

"Hey, you said that I would get the first move!" yelled Sechs.

"And you did," said Momotaro as he reached for his belt. "And now my body was memorized this pain." There, he grabbed a strange sphere that seemed to be attached to it and pulled it out. He held it up so that Sechs could see it clearly. "This is a Kibi Dango, and with it I will seal your fate!" Momotaro then squeezed the sphere and a steam like mist appeared which then seeped into his skin. Instantly the wound healed and Momotaro underwent a transformation. His hair turned brown and fur seemed to cover his body leaving only his face, chest, and palms untouched.

"And there it is ladies and gentlemen, Momotaro has now shown Sechs why he is known as Bujū Sōkō no Momotaro!" said Juri with a slight pout. "And things will only get worse for Sechs and Momotaro will continue to lose his hotness."

"I don't get what's going on and I don't care!" declared Sechs. "**Sechster Angriff!**" And with that, Sechs attacked Momotaro who didn't move a muscle. Sechs' attack hit him in the chest, but there was no damage. If fact, it was like Sechs seemed to bounce right off of him. Momotaro then began his attack and punched Sechs while he was falling backwards, causing the one eyes genin to hit the ground hard several yards away.

"I know what you're thinking," said Momotaro as he crossed his arms. "And you're right, that should have worked. However my body has the ability to memorize any damage it receives. After that I just use a Kibi Dango and I gain immunity from that attack and I get a body upgrade. So, in short, every jutsu that you use against me just makes me stronger. Right now I'm using **Bujū Sōkō: Maen no Sō**." Momotaro watched as Sechs got into a sitting position. He expected Sechs to beg for his life or give up. But instead, Sechs began to laugh. "Looks like I knocked the sense out of him. I have that affect on people."

"Please," said Sechs as he stood up. "All this means is that all I have to do is kill you before you can use one of those spheres. That should make things more interesting."

-x-

Back with Naruto, he was easily avoiding all of Ura's attacks. Ura used his fishing pole like a whip, slashing out at Naruto who flew around his attacks. It seemed weird to Naruto that someone like this was considered to be a jonin. He wasn't fast or strong and his attacks so far were that of a beginner's. But people seemed to be afraid of him for some reason. Naruto couldn't make sense of it.

"I've heard a lot about you," said Ura as he continued his attack. "But do you really think it'll last?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Naruto as he dodged another attack with ease.

"I heard that you were nothing but an outcast in your village," said Ura. "But now it seems that people are warming up to you. But that's only because you're strong and win. But as soon as you lose, they'll turn on you again." Naruto's eyes widened slowly as he dodged another lash. "You know it's true. Deep down they haven't changed their minds about you. Your still the same outcast, but one they can use. Use and then throw away once they have no more use for you!"

Naruto then moved towards the edge of the arena and was then stopped by an invisible force that caused him to bounce off of it. Ura smirked as his fishing line wrapped around Naruto and then pulled causing dozens of cuts to appear on Naruto's body. Naruto fell to the ground in utter pain.

"What the-" he gasped in pain only to be whipped across his back.

"That was too easy," said Ura as he whipped Naruto again. Blood was now beginning to soak the stones as Naruto's shirt was torn to shreds. "I've heard all the rumors and seen you on TV. In terms of power I fall short, but there are ways around that. You fell right into my mind game and never even noticed that I created a barrier. And now I think I'll finish you off." With that, Ura took of the bag on his back and opened it to reveal a box which he set on the ground. "This is **Yami Aitemu****: ****Gyaku Tama Tebako**! Anyone who breathes in the smoke, other than the person who opens it, will begin to regress in age. This will make my victory as easy as killing a new born baby!"

And with that, Ura opened the box. Naruto tried to get up and fly away, but his injuries were too painful and the smoke came at him too quickly. Before Naruto knew it the entire area was full of a white mist. And the effects were immediate. Naruto could feel his body shrinking. His life seemed to flow backwards before his eyes. He watched as he fought Gaara. Fighting Sechs, a shinobi who pushed him to his limits. He felt the tear filled joy of finding his cousin. He experienced Iruka accepting him for who he was. He saw himself meeting Hanzo, the great shinobi who believed he had the makings of a great shinobi. The feeling of Hinata's tears as she cried in his lap. The happiness of making his first friend, Anko. Sitting on the Hokages lap as they looked over scrolls as he learned to read. And then…there was nothing.

Ura felt Naruto's chakra slowly fade until there was nothing left. No one knew how hard it was to use this item. Oh, who was he kidding? What did it really matter if his opponent regressed too far? The end result was that he would die. With this power, strength didn't matter in the slightest. All enemies he had to fight would be reduced to their weakest moments and made easier to kill.

Suddenly, Ura felt a huge chakra spike. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. And it wasn't Naruto's. No, this chakra was much darker and pure evil. Ura looked around; trying to find the source but it was like it was coming from every direction. Then, he felt something drip on his head. Slowly, shaking from head to toe, Ura looked up and saw the face of Kyuubi.

"**You have my thanks, human**," said Kyuubi. Ura fell onto his back and tried to protect himself with his arms.

"Y-You c-can't be h-here!" he cried.

"**Oh, but I am**," said Kyuubi darkly. "**Normally, for freeing me, I would spare your pathetic life. But I know the secrets of that little toy you use and how long its effects will last. Pity this can't be permanent. And I haven't eaten in so long.**"

And the last thing that Urashima Ura ever saw were the giant fangs of Kyuubi.

Juri, who had been standing outside the fighting area, sighed. It was so boring when Urashima Ura did this. She couldn't see anything and thus couldn't report anything. But, thanks to previous experiences, she knew it was better to just wait outside. Suddenly the barrier vanished and the smoke began to clear. A few moments later, Juri saw Naruto on all fours blinking in confusion. She looked around for Ura, but it was as if he had vanished.

"Since Urashima Ura is no longer in the ring, I declare Uzumaki Naruto the winner!" she declared.

-x-

Sechs continued to use his Titan Blade against Momotaro with no effect. It was as if his fur was tougher than diamonds. But still Sechs went on because he still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Once he was directly in front of Momotaro Sechs made several hand signs and then yelled, "**Raiton: Youkai Himei!**" and out of Sechs mouth came a lightning blast the spread out like a beam of light. This was a jutsu that Sechs never used against Naruto in their fight because he knew it would have been weak against Naruto's wind jutsus. This was a long range jutsu that could take out multiple opponents at once. But, when used point blank, its power and effectiveness was greatly increased. The attack hit Momotaro who was thrown back. Sadly, he landed on his feet. There were scorch marks on his chest and sparks were still flying. There was also a thin line of blood coming from his lip.

"Well that was a surprise," said Momotaro as he took another small sphere. "That hurt a little. But now it's time for another Kibi Dango!" Momotaro squashed it in his hand and once again underwent a transformation. His hair turned yellow and his body became covered with blue scales. Golden feathers shot out of his arms to make it seem that he had wings and his hands became claws. "**Bujū Sōkō: Machi no Sō!**" Momotaro then jumped into the air and then seemed to dive onto Sechs, slashing him with his claws on the way down. And due to the force of the attack, Sechs dropped the Titan Blade. Thinking that he had won, Momotaro seemed to fly up again and prepared for the finishing blow.

But Sechs had his own transformation. The upper portion of his arm opened up and a cylinder came out it. His hand turned flat and his fingers seemed to recline. Once it was done, Sechs pointed his mechanical arm at Momotaro and fired a high pressured, supersonic stream of water that cut right through Momotaro's Bujū Sōkō like a knife cutting through warm butter. Momotaro fell to the ground, bleeding and gasping in pain.

"Now to finish it," declared Sechs as he pointed his gun arm at the fallen warrior. Once again, water shot out of it, but before it hit Momotaro he was covered with steam. It was too late for Sechs to realize that while he had been falling Momotaro had reached for one of his Kibi Dango. When the transformation was over, Momotaro looked like a brown were-wolf with white colored hair. His claws were also sharper now, like inch long blades attached to every finger.

"**Bujū Sōkō: Maken no Sō!**" said Momotaro as he flexed his fingers. "This is my fastest and favorite form. AND NOW YOU DIE!" With that, Momotaro raced towards Sechs. He knew there was no way he could turn his arm back to normal in time to make any hand signs. He smirked as Sechs pointed his gun like arm at him, ready to fire the third attack. Like it would work now that he was immune to that jet stream. A blue light then shot out of it and shot towards his heart. And then it went right through him! Momotaro fell to the ground while continuing to slide, only to stop at Sechs feet.

"Baka," said Sechs as he began to manually turn his arm back to normal. "This arm can also fire the chakra saved up in it for a one time blast."

"Splendid," cried Koto. "And Sechs is the winner!"

-x-

It was late at night in the village of Konoha. Most of its people were asleep. The few that weren't were on guard duty, having sex, or trying to get some sleep. All but one and his name was Sasuke. He was currently in the former home of Uzumaki Kushina that he had managed to find. There had to be something that Danzo, whoever he was, had missed. With his Sharingan activated, he was sure he could find something that was hidden. Yet so far he had found nothing in the small, cozy kitchen and sitting room.

Once again, Naruto was on TV and that fact pissed the hell out of him. Everyone in the village was talking about it. How Naruto had a chance to win first prize. How strong he had gotten since his academy days. All anybody wanted to talk about was Naruto. Never mind the few whispers he had heard about Itachi being in the area. No one seemed to care that the man that murder his clan was close by and nothing was being done! No, not when Uzumaki Naruto was too busy showing off!

Sasuke walked into a room and scanned it. Apparently it had been intended as a baby room, judging by the crib. Right above it, painted in raid, was the name Naruto with a large spiral underneath it. Also, all over the walls, were hand drawn pictures of a chibi woman with word boxes next to her. In some cases she was making a V for victory sign and in others she had her arms bent to make a heart. She said things like "Kaa-san loves you, no matter what!" and "True strength is not measured by how little you fall but in how many times you get up!" and "Never give up and never go back on your word!" Several toys were in the corners of the room and there was also a bookcase full of old picture books.

Sasuke felt sick just standing in this idiotic room and was about to leave when he noticed something. There was some strange chakra in the spiral above the crib. There was so little in it making it hard to detect, but it was there. Sasuke moved over to it and realized that something was sealed in the wall. Quickly he bit his thumb and then pressed it against the spiral. It glowed for a second and then in a poof came a large scroll and a letter. Picking up the letter, Sasuke began to read.

'Dear Naruto-kun,

'If you are reading this letter than you have just graduated from the academy! I am so proud of you! And I know that you aren't taking crap from anyone!

'Members of our clan have signed this summoning scroll when they have reached adulthood. And now, your time has come. May you sore high on the wings that will help you realize your dreams. Hey, that had a rhyme to it!

'Love, your Kaa-san'

At the bottom was another hand drawn picture of the same chibi woman who seemed to be blowing him a kiss. Sasuke crumbled up the letter and threw it in the corner and then went right for the scroll.

"My, my," said a voice from behind Sasuke. He turned around and saw Kabuto standing there with a small smirk. "What do we have here? Has the Uchiha clan fallen so low as to needing to steal from his teammates?"

"What are you doing here?" demanded Sasuke as he got ready to fight. He had heard from Kakashi that Kabuto was a traitor and knew to keep his guard up. But Kabuto just kept looking down on him.

"I was looking for you," he said simply. "Orochimaru-sama has taken an interest in you and would like to extend to you a very generous offer to become his student."

"Why should I go with him?" asked Sasuke as he lowered his guard a bit. The next thing he knew was that Kabuto had kicked him right into the wall.

"That's why," said Kabuto. "This village is making you weak. Right now the strongest genin in this village is Naruto-kun." Sasuke growled when he heard that. "In fact, little Hinata-chan, who was kicked out of her own clan due to her weakness, is currently stronger than you are. If you stay here, your dream of killing Itachi will never come into being. Is that what you want? To let the man who killed your family walk free until some nobody takes his life?"

"No one can kill Itachi but me!" roared Sasuke as he got to his feet.

"Pity," said Kabuto. "Right now Naruto-kun is closer to being able to defeat Itachi than you are. And he has been getting special training from Jiraiya of the Sennin. Don't you think that you deserve the same treatment at least? If you do then you should head to Oni no Kuni before the Oni Tournament ends. But, if you are content to be trained by someone of Kakashi's level then stay here." And with that, Kabuto vanished as if he were being burned from existence.

Sasuke stood there in that room for a while. He knew that Kabuto was a traitor, but he was strong. And so was Orochimaru who had killed the Hokage. The things he could learn swarmed through his head as Sasuke picked up the summoning scroll and then strapped it to his back. Slowly, Sasuke walked towards the door and then turned around. He glared at the room full of love that seemed to be mocking him. He gathered his chakra and sent out a ball of fire that caused the room to catch on fire. And with that, Sasuke left the building knowing that soon fire fighters would arrive on the scene.

-x-Translations-x-

Kibi Dango: Strange Beautiful Sweet Dumpling

Bujū Sōkō: Maen no Sō: War Beast Armor: Armor of Demon Monkey

Bujū Sōkō: Machi no Sō: War Beast Armor: Armor of Demon Pheasant

Bujū Sōkō: Maken no Sō: War Beast Armor: Armor of Demon Dog

Raiton: Youkai Himei: Lightning Release: Phantom Scream

Yami Aitemu: Gyaku Tama Tebako: Dark Item: Reverse Jewel Hand Box

A special thanks to my beta: Vorago Atrox


	30. Chapter 30

Man, so many complaints. You people beg me to update more often and when I do you people bitch about content. First, this is fanfiction which means I don't have to make everything just like the manga. Second, this is Wind Lord not Seal Lord. I mean, Naruto comes from a clan of wind users in my story and not seal masters. So just to let you all know now I WILL CHANGE FOR NO ONE AND IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT THEN STOP READING! Sorry I raised my voice.

Anyways, Madara is just evil in the manga. I can really see him attaching exploding tags onto a baby. And while it was interesting to see what really happened that night, I don't think it needed to be that long. That's just my opinion. At least Naruto seems to have gotten some new powers and one of them is similar to his fathers! Hell, he even had a new form. Can't wait to see what happens when he uses his new form with Sage mode.

Let's rock!

-x-

Orochimaru stood on top of a hill overlooking the large walls of the place that had once been his home. His arms, now discolored, hung lifelessly by his sides. He was sweating a bit due to the pain which increased as the days went by. He knew he had to either take a new host or have his arms healed. And as much as he wanted the Sharingan, Sasuke wasn't ready yet. It would be risking too much to train that body of his to face Itachi in three years. No, he had to get the boy ready to be the best possible host he could be.

A smile appeared on his face despite the pain. He slowly turned around and Kabuto landed behind him in a kneeling position. He then rose and took his place next to his master.

"I take it that it went well," said Orochimaru as they both gazed at the village before them.

"It was too easy," said Kabuto as he adjusted his glassed. "Sasuke-kun seems to be getting desperate. I found him looting the home of Uzumaki Kushina."

"Ahh," said Orochimaru with a bit of fondness that surprised Kabuto a bit. "That name takes me back." Kabuto blinked in surprise. He had never known his master to say anything like that with that tone of voice. And before Kabuto could think anything else, Orochimaru spoke again. "Send word to the Sound Four, I want them in Oni on the day of the deadline."

"If Tsunade refuses and you end up fighting, they won't be much help," said Kabuto. "In fact, they would just be in the way."

"I know that," snapped Orochimaru in a more familiar tone. "Regardless of how Tsunade-hime responds, they will have a very special mission." A smile slowly appeared on his face. "A mission that, if they succeed, will make my future seem much brighter."

-x-

Danzo sat in his room alone. In front of him was a fresh cup of his favorite tea which he planned on enjoying while he waited to find out if Tsunade would be returning as Hokage or if Jiraiya would take up the position. Either way he was fine with, for now at least. After what happened in the invasion, the village needed someone strong to show their power. If Jiraiya became Hokage, which would have been better in his opinion, the village would have a Sennin as a leader. If Tsunade became Hokage, something he hoped wouldn't happen, then she would most likely create her medical core and mission success rate would go up in a few years. While some of his minions suggested that he should take this opportunity and become Hokage, he knew it wasn't the right time. Orochimaru was still alive and would use their past 'deals' as leverage to get him to do what he wanted. And then there was the matter with Itachi. Should he ever speak of what really happened about the Uchiha clan, then he would be doomed. No, he needed to wait for the right time.

Suddenly one of Danzo's followers appeared before him in a poof of smoke.

"Danzo-sama," he said and he knelt before the older man. "A fire has broken out in the village."

"A fire?" asked Danzo with some annoyance.

"Hai," said the Ne agent. "It will take some time to figure out the origins of the flames; however we believe that there are two possibilities. The first was that it was an accident caused by kids. The building had been abandoned for some time and we think there is a strong possibility that kids were using it as a place to smoke or something of that nature. However, given what happened during the invasion it is also possible that it could have been a group of Oto-nins who had been hiding there since the invasion failed as part of a backup plan by Orochimaru." Danzo nodded.

"Yes," he said slowly. "A fire would make things harder for us to gather any information on them now that they have left that location." Danzo looked down at his agent and a thought came to him. "Where was this fire?"

"The old Uzumaki home," replied the masked one. When Danzo heard that, he could not hide his shock and fury as his eye opened wide. He stood up quickly which caused him to knock over his tea. He wanted to strike out at the nearest person and unleash his full anger, but he held himself back. Silently he cursed Kushina and her seal.

-Flashback-

Danzo stood in what should have been Uzumaki Naruto's room. It had been several days since Kushina had vanished and Danzo had already written her off, regardless if she was dead or on the run. He had easily found her jutsu scrolls, each one contained powerful wind jutsus like Fūton: Shinkūha and Fūton: Shinkūgyoku. They would give him a powerful advantage when the time came to take power. All that was left was Kushina's summoning scroll which he believed was behind this seal in her sons room.

"This is a very interesting seal design," said one of his Ne agents as he studied the seal. "The chakra inside of it seems to be cycling down."

"It doesn't matter," said Danzo as he took his place in front of it. Once he was directly in front of it, he took out a small vial. Inside of it was a bit of Naruto's blood which his agents had obtained in secret. Danzo then put a few drops onto his thumb and then pressed it against the seal. Moments later the red lines of the spiral turned a bright blue and from the center came a bright light which shot at Danzo's forehead.

"Danzo-sama," cried out one of Danzo's followers. But soon he was taken aback by what he saw for on Danzo's forehead someone had written 'You're too young honey bun'. And next to it was a smiley face.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Danzo after he himself saw what was on his head.

"This is most interesting," said the Ne agent who had been studying the seal. Danzo turned at him and glared.

"Why didn't it work?" he demanded.

"Well Danzo-sama," the agent began, "I believe that this is a time lock seal. You see, I believe that when Kushina created it, she wasn't worried about anyone else in the village taking the scroll. She must have assumed that she would still be around and thus created a seal to keep out the one person she didn't want the scroll to go to until he was ready. As I said before, the chakra seems to be cycling down almost like a timer. Once it reaching a certain point, the seal will be so weak that anyone's blood can open it. Until that time, the only one who could possibly open it early would be its creator. Well, that is my theory anyways."

"So basically, we can't open the seal right now," restated Danzo. Silently he cursed Kushina and her skills. He could almost see her, grinning at him mockingly. If he had only gotten a bit of her blood, then he could get to her scroll. But, for now, he would take her jutsus and make them his own. And when the time came, once the seal was weak enough, he would try again.

-End Flashback-

In his room, Danzo growled at the memory of Kushina's seal. He had gone to check on it several times in the past few years and each time saw that it had weakened slightly more. Maybe this could have been the year he had been waiting for. And now it was gone to a fire.

"I will speak to the council in the morning," said Danzo to his agent as he regained his cool. "I will have them assign genin teams to clean up the mess while a Ne agent coordinates it. Hopefully, we'll be able to find some clues as to who did this. We might be able to salvage something."

"Hai Danzo-sama," said the agent.

-x-

At the same time, Sasuke was admiring the stolen summoning scroll. Name after name of Uzumaki clansmen and women were listed. Perhaps this was what helped them gain the power and fame they once had. Well, in any matter, that power would soon be his. Without any more hesitation, Sasuke signed his name in blood onto the scroll. Sasuke then made the hand signs and prepared to summon for the first time.

Yet things did not go as expected. As soon as Sasuke finished the jutsu, there was a puff of smoke and then a hawk shot out of it right toward him. It moved with such speed that Sasuke was unable to fully dodge it. Talons pierced his shoulder and he was pressed against the wall by this brown feathered hawk.

"You're not Uzumaki," said the hawk as it moved its beak close to his eye. "You are Uchiha. Tell me where is the Uzumaki clan or else I will gouge out your eyes."

"They are gone," gasped Sasuke.

"We know that," said the hawk. "Uzumaki is all but gone, that we know. Oh, we know that all too well. But where are Uzumaki Kushina and her son. Tell me now!"

"As far as I know, Kushina betrayed the village and is missing," said Sasuke. "As for Naruto, he's still here but doesn't seem to want anything to do with you." The hawk released his grip on Sasuke and flew away from him. He fluttered for a bit and eventually landed on Sasuke's kitchen table. Sasuke clutched his wound and hid his smile as his lie seemed to work.

"Nothing to do with us," muttered the hawk as he lowered his head. "All these generations just to be thrown away. No, not possible. Not possible. Kushina-hime, she who tended to us, would not leave us."

"But she has," said Sasuke as he sensed the hawks doubt. "You know it. Allow me to summon you and perhaps we can help each other." At this the hawks head snapped back up.

"Help an Uchiha?" he cried. "Why should I do that? Even if our lady has forsaken us and her son has ignored us, we would never lower ourselves to work under the likes of you. We remember your clan's sins. Who was it that tested their poisonous gases on pregnant women to see the effect? Whose clan has a brother that would turn on brother and friend against friend in order to taste more power? Who was it that that claimed might equals right? Uchiha, that's who! So why should we allow you to summon us?"

"Because you want revenge!" declared Sasuke. "I know because I want it too! My family was murdered by my own brother!" At that point, Sasuke had clenched his fists. "I have to avenge them, no matter what. And to do that, I need power. Power that you can give me. Help me with my revenge and I'll help you with yours."

The hawk stared at him for a while. Then it vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Sasuke alone and confused. Had it worked? Would he be allowed to summon hawks? Or would the next time he tried be his last?

Meanwhile, the hawk he had summoned reappeared in his homeland. It was an island covered with large, spiky rocks and deep canyons. The land was baron so they had to hunt for their food on the nearby forested islands that surrounded them. That was how it had been for thousands of years. That was how it was going to stay for them.

"Takamaki," called out a voice from above. Takamaki looked up and saw another hawk, a white one, as it landed next to him. "I heard you where summoned by the Uchiha," he said after he landed. "How did they steal the scroll?"

"I don't think they did Takayami," replied Takamaki. "The Uchiha spoke of Uzumaki betrayal. The Uchiha spoke of Uzumaki forgetting about us."

"Kushina-hime," came a wailing voice from above. Both hawks looked upwards to the tallest stone spike and saw the largest and most powerful summon of them all, Takayuu. He was so large that one of his powerful wings could cover an entire football field. His feathers were grey while his chest was white with black spots. And on his back were two large katana swords.

"Tsk, still he wails for her," said Takamaki in a cold tone. "He has tried to reverse summon her many times in the past, but with no luck. Shall we remain here forever as we wait to be completely forgotten about? I shall not!"

"Baka," snapped Takayami. "Never trust the word of an Uchiha. Lairs and betrayers all. He will use you and throw you away when he is done with you. You must find out the truth for it will not come from their lips."

"Then I have no choice," said Takamaki. "I will allow him to summon me and any other hawk that feels the same. And I shall allow him this privilege until the day I see the last of the Uzumaki and find the truth with my own eyes!"

-x-

Shion had been fast asleep for awhile now. Night was the only time she could have time for herself when things like the tournament was going on. Personally, she hated it all, epically the first prize. And now, with both shinobi that were supposed to be representing her down in the prelims, she had lost all hope of no one winning. Her dreams were the only way she could get any escape now, even for a little while.

Suddenly she heard a bell ring. One moment she was dreaming about being a normal high school girl with a military freak of a boyfriend who had no common sense and the next she was in what looked like a battlefield. She saw herself on the ground, covered with dirt and looking like a complete mess. Over to the side there were two people fighting on what looked like a giant snake halfway buried in the mud. There was also another blond woman with the largest breasts she had ever seen sitting next to her. She was watching the fighting and also looked scared about something. Shion noted the blood on the woman's clothing, but didn't see any cuts.

The next thing she knew was that the blond shinobi from the tournament had landed right in front of them. He was covered with bruises, cuts, and dripping blood. It was almost like he had tried to take out an entire army by himself. But the look in his eyes was…refreshing in a way. He them smiled at the two.

"See," he said. "I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you." His eyes suddenly widened as the sound of chirping birds was heard and he then seemed to brace himself. A moment later something bright shot through his chest. Shion winced at the powerful light and as drops of blood fell on her face. And when the light ended she saw a hand replace the light blade.

"Never show pity," said someone else's voice from behind Naruto. "And never turn your back on an Uchiha." Naruto did his best to stand up, but his a hand sized whole in his chest it was a miracle that he was still able to stand or still be alive. He then looked at Shion directly in her eyes and grinned as he grabbed Sasuke's blood soaked hand. "W-What the hell are you doing?"

"I promised you, didn't I?" said Naruto as he looked at Shion and the other blond woman. "I promised that I would protect you both with my life. And I never go back on my word." With that, Naruto shot upwards with his attacker in tow. Shion followed him with her eyes as they became filled with tears. And then, when they were nothing but dots, she saw a large explosion in the sky.

"NARUTO!" screamed Shion as she woke up. Immediately her attendents came to her side as she was panting and covered with sweat. She had many visions before, but never one like this. And it scared her.

-x-

Elsewhere, at the hotel, Naruto and gang where relaxing for the night. Well, for the most part anyways. Naruto was lying on his side holding his stomach in pain and had been since his match ended.

"Oh man," moaned the blond wind user. "This is almost as bad as eating Haku-itoko's cooking. It's like I drank a gallon of warm spoiled milk."

"Don't worry about a thing Naruto-kun," said Hinata as she took out a small container. "I have some medicine here that should help." At that, Naruto smiled.

"Thanks Hinata-chan," said Naruto as tears of joy appeared in his eyes. "You're a much better medic than that big boobed drunk that just sits on her ass while someone suffers and…" Naruto was then cut off as Tsunade punched him in the head.

"Baka," she sneered. "Next time think before you speak."

"I was just being honest," said Naruto. He was about to say something else but stopped as Hinata began to pull off his shirt. "Ah, Hinata-chan, what are you doing?"

"Well," began Hinata with a blush. "I need to apply this ointment on your stomach." Upon hearing that, Anko sat straight up with disk plate eyes. A growl escaped her throat as she then stood up. Quickly she moved over to Hinata, grabbed her by her jacket, and began to pull her away from Naruto and out of the room. Hinata squired back and forth, but Anko refused to let go. "Anko, what are you doing?"

"We're going to the hot spring," said Anko as she slammed the door behind them.

Now Sechs stood up with a grin on his face. Hot springs meant one thing: naked women. Sure, Hinata and Anko were very hot, but they clearly like Naruto. But that didn't mean that they were the only fish in the sea. He had already seen several hot women in the hotel and who knows, he might get lucky and find a nice whole to peek through. With that in mind, Sechs moved over to Naruto and pulled him onto his shoulder.

"Yeah, I think a nice bath in the hot springs might do you some good," said Sechs as they moved towards the door.

"Before you go there is something that I must tell you," said Tsunade as she crossed her arms. With a deadpanned expression, Sechs turned around.

"What is it?" he sighed.

"It's a very interesting story," said Tsunade with a glean in her eye. "You see, there has only been one time when Jiraiya has been close to death. Both his arms were broken as well as six ribs." At the mention of the word six, and seeing Jiraiya nod his head a bit, Sechs gulped. "What's more, he also ruptured a number of his organs. All this all happened when he decided to peek on me while I was taking a bath at a hot spring." Tsunade then gave the boys a false sweet smile. "So incase you boys were planning on doing something stupid like that, you better think again."

Sechs was sweating all over and shaking from head to toe. He had heard all about the legendary fight between this woman's team and Hanzo all those years ago almost blow for blow. So he knew their strengths and what it would take to do something like that to Jiraiya. But having your own teammate try to kill you for something like that? That's what men do! Naruto looked like he heard it but was too sick to really care.

-x-

"This sucks," complained Sechs. For the last hour, both he and Naruto had been soaking in the hot spring. Naruto, who was now feeling better, had his eyes closed as he tried his best to relax. "I mean, this is why men go to hot springs; to peek at the ladies. It is wrong!"

"I thought you only cared about fighting," said Naruto. Sechs snorted.

"I care about other things in life," he said. "I mean, my life is all about being the best shinobi I can be, but I still get urges."

"So what about your teammates?" asked Naruto. Sechs groaned.

"They're more like annoying sisters than anything else," he muttered. "All they ever do is fool around and try to complete missions without any fighting. I mean, seriously, what's the point of being a shinobi without so action along the way?" Naruto nodded. "I mean, I'm not expecting every mission to be like the adventures of Fūin-hime, but…"

"Wait," said Naruto as he straightened up. "You like the Fūin-hime series?"

"Hell yeah," said Sechs. "I really liked the one where she had to travel to the Temple of the Stars to start her training with the seven colored chakra and then…"

"Moa attacked the village where her boyfriend lived in order to lure her out," finished Naruto with a grin. "Too bad he died but at least he did it to protect her."

"I was glad he died," said Sechs. "He was a complete wuss like some of those guys you see in animes who get all the girls. Only time he showed any guts was when he distracted Moa for a second to allow Fūin-hime to get that last attack." Suddenly, they both heard a beeping sound and Naruto's eyes opened eye. Slowly, Naruto began to tremble a bit. "What the hell is wrong with you."

"Shinobi Force Five is coming on in six minutes," he said. Sechs' jaw dropped. Suddenly they both stood up and ran into the men's changing room. Soon, both of them were running down the hallway in their robes with their hair all wet.

"We can't miss this, we can't miss this," Sechs kept saying. "This is part five of a seven part series. Someone is going to die in this episode!" As he said that, they both passed by Shion who had gone to the hot springs to calm down and to get rid of the smell of sweat.

"I know who will die," she said as she stopped. Both teens slowed down and began to walk backwards. They were curious because this was supposed to be a new episode. The blond girl then pointed at Naruto. "Soon, you will die."

-x-

Ok, I hope you all enjoyed this. More of a filler to answer some questions a lot of people were asking and to tease you all. Next time on Wind Lord the fighting will continue as Naruto and Sechs face off against their opponents. Who will win and who will lose? Will Sasuke kill Naruto? Will Sechs peek on any of the ladies? Will I update faster?

A special thanks to my beta: Vorago Atrox


	31. Chapter 31

Hey all, how have things been? Well, I wanted to do something special in this chapter for Halloween but I have run out of ideas. I mean, I have done Saw too many times and anything else might be a little cheesy. Maybe next year I'll do something or get some inspiration latter and do another chapter before updating Tales of the Fox Sage. That's right, after this I will be updating that story and might keep on updating till it is finished!

Well, I have Madara figured out. Well, to an extent anyways. Only one of his eyes still belongs to his brothers. The other, the one that is hidden, is used for Izanagi in case of an emergency. That's why he has that large collection. And Nagato is an Uzumaki? I wonder what this will mean for Naruto. Perhaps Naruto is able to activate a 'true' Rinnegan compared to the Rinnegan that Madara gave Nagato. Well, that is if Madara was telling the truth. He could have been lying to psyche out Konan. Also, is Bleach over with?

Let's rock!

-x-

Sasuke was walking down a long tunnel of multi colored lights. All around him were bright greens, reds, yellows, oranges, purples, and so on. And there, standing at what seemed to be the end was Itachi! Yelling with rage Sasuke began to run after him only to find that the distance never changed. He seemed to stay in the same spot!

"Look out!" yelled Naruto from behind him as Sasuke was knocked down to the ground. Seconds later he looked up and saw Sechs and Naruto fighting as they made their way down the tunnel. They seemed to moving in circles as they punched and kicked each other until they reached Itachi only to have him join in on the fight.

"You're in the way," said Gaara as he stepped on Sasuke. Unlike Naruto or Sechs, Gaara just walked towards the others with his arms crossed.

"Move it Uchiha," said Neji as he ran after Gaara, and stepping on Sasuke's head.

As the lone Uchiha raised his head once more, he gasped in shock to see that he was no longer in the tunnel of light. Instead, he was in his old house. In front of him were his parents, still covered in blood but standing upright and looking down on him. His father looked at him with nothing but disappointment.

"What have you been doing all this time?" he demanded. "Have you no pride? You are an Uchiha but you allow yourself to be surpassed by clowns and rivals! What have you been doing all this time?"

Sasuke looked at his mother who smiled at him warmly, with forgiveness. Sasuke relaxed, knowing that she knew he was doing everything in his power to avenge them. She opened her mouth, only to vomit blood. Moments later, a gloved hand with knives on it exploded from her belly and ripped open a hole. Then a man with a melted face came out and grinned at Sasuke.

"Look, its mama's little boy," he said mockingly. "Why don't you come in here?" With that, the man reached out for Sasuke, grabbed him, and pulled him back into his mother's womb. Once Sasuke was in, the hole sealed up trapping Sasuke inside. Sasuke began to scream for help and then…he woke up panting.

-x-

Elsewhere in the village, Team Gai was cleaning through the wreckage of Kushina's old home. But along with Gai there was a member of ANBU with a cloak watching them as they worked. They were ordered by him that, in the event of finding anything unusual, they were to report it to him. So far, they had found out where the fire had started and, based on residual chakra, a jutsu had been used to start it. The only other thing they had found in the burnt rumble was a couple of chakra infused papers that had somehow survived.

"Neji, are you alright," asked Tenten as she moved some half burnt wood out of the way. This was Neji's first real assignment since he had lost to Naruto. He hadn't even trained once since then and was now working on this mission.

"No, I'm not alright," growled Neji. "That clown, that baka beat me like I was nothing. And now he's on TV once again showing off. How could I ever be alright after what happened?" He sighed and sat down. He looked so angry and at the same time so defeated. "I knew I would lose at some point. But I never even made it to the finals. Lee did better against Naruto than I did so what's that say about me?"

"So what?" demanded Tenten as she looked down on him. "You're not even going to try and just give up? That's not the Neji I know! I lost in the prelims as well, but I haven't been sulking all this time. I have been training hard so the next time I see that Temari girl, I won't lose as easily as I did!"

"Yosh, she is right!" said Lee as he did his good guy pose. "With hard work, you can overcome anything. Your youthful teammates will help you overcome this set back and help you with your training."

"Y-You really mean it?" asked Neji as he blinked. They both nodded. "Good, then after this let's start training again. When Naruto gets back I plan on settling the score with him once and for all!"

-x-

"Good morning fight fans," said a very cheerful Koto over the mic. It was early in the morning and the first round of the tournament was about to begin. "Welcome to the first round after the prelims of the Oni Tournament! So let's give a warm welcome to our first shinobi Uzumaki Naruto!" The crowd let out a loud cheer as Naruto stepped into the ring.

The blond shinobi waved to the crowd and smiled as they cheered him on. He was a bit nervous which was partly due to what that blond haired girl had told him last night. That he was going to die. But, then again, he didn't believe in fate or fortune telling. And all she really told him was that he was going to die. Lamest fortune telling ever because everyone is going to die someday. So, for now, Naruto was just going to forget it.

"Listen to them yabber on," said a slurred voice coming the opposite entrance. Soon after, the owner of the voice staggered out into the open. The man had a long, blue mohawk that trailed down the back of his neck and then split. The two ends of his hair were tied up with a red ribbon. His face was messy and rather short goatee and mustache, as well as two green striped tattoos under his eyes. He was wearing black boots, olive green pants with a red belt and a blue sleeveless shirt, both fur lined. In his he had a large sake bottle.

"And now entering the arena is the drunken Kusa-nin Chu!" exclaimed Koto. The crowd started to cheer but became silent after Chu tripped after trying to get onto the ring. He then began to curse at it, claiming that it had gotten taller on him, before getting up once more.

Soon the two were standing a few yards apart from each other. Naruto could now see that Chu was taller than Kakashi by several inches. Also, he seemed to have more muscle than his sensei, and he used the term loosely, as well. However, he was stumbling around, reeked of alcohol, and had glazed over eyes. Naruto knew that there were a lot of shinobi who had weird powers out there, but he had never seen a power that required the user to me drunk.

"So you're the little ankle bitter I've heard so much about," said Chu before he finished what was in the bottle. He then threw it out of the ring and then belched. "Course, I think you're just a bloke whose been getting lucky." Naruto growled. "Now, now mate. No need to be getting all excited. Just hold on a tic." And with that, Chu vanished and reappeared behind Koto. Then, faster than what could have been thought possible, Chu took her mic.

"Hey, that mine!" yelled Koto.

"Sorry sheila," said Chu before addressing the crowd. "Alright, before we get started I want to get the record straight. Right then, I'm a real ace fighter and the only things I suck at are paper, rock, scissor and tests!" The crowd (and Naruto) sweat dropped from that declaration. Sensing the need to explain things, Koto took her mic back.

"Allow me to translate for the drunkard," she told everyone. "Chu is normally part of a four man team who uses a game of paper, rock scissors to decide which three are going to take the chunin exam. Sadly, nearly every time Chu loses pathetically. And when he does get to go he never makes it past the paper portion. But he wants you to forget all of that because me is number one."

"That's right!" yelled Chu. "Sheila here got it right. I'm the master of Suiken!"

"I have no idea what that is, but I bet my Sempuken can beat it!" declared Naruto.

"Well then let's have a burl," said Chu.

A moment later, Naruto got worried. Chu seemed to get a lot more serious as he seemed to stumble into a stance of some kind. It was almost like he was leaning to the side and back a bit. Like he was about to fall backwards or something. And the look in his eyes, like he was sober or something. Naruto got ready as he began to float in the air a bit.

"Hajime!" shouted Koto.

Naruto flew forward and swung his right fist into Chu's gut. Or at least that was the plan. Just before the hit could land Chu leaned backwards and moved to his left. Naruto then tried again only to have Chu avoid his next attack. Over and over Naruto flew his punches at the drunk only to have them miss.

"My turn," said Chu. Before Naruto could do anything Chu moved in and delivered five lightning fast blows to the stomach. Once he was done with that, Chu sent him flying in the air with a kick to the side. But Naruto didn't go very far as he stopped in mid-air several yards up. He held on to his stomach and gritted in pain.

"Damn," swore Naruto as he spat some blood. He had underestimated Chu. He was harder to hit than Neji or Lee. But unlike Lee, he wasn't wearing any weights. That had to mean that Chu wouldn't get any stronger or faster. But that didn't change the fact that his fighting skills were greater.

Suddenly, an idea came to Naruto's mind. Then, with a grin, Naruto made a hand sign and yelled, "**Kage Bushin no Jutsu!**" and four more Naruto's appeared. With a war cry they all flew down to where Chu was standing and began to attack all at once. They all seemed to be attacking at random to the point where their blows almost hit each other rather than Chu. However Chu seemed to have no problem dodging the attacks. In fact, he seemed to be dodging the attacks better than before.

But there soon came a time when he would switch to offence. He pulled back both of his fist and then struck two of the five Naruto. One of them flew backwards, trying to gain some distance as Chu prepared to kick the remaining two with one strike. They tried to block it, but failed as it slashed through them like a blade. Now Naruto was alone with Chu.

"What a bloody waste of chakra," said Chu. "Not even a dent in me. Maybe you should have tried bigger numbers." With that, Chu vanished and reappeared in front of Naruto and punched him in the gut once again. But, unlike last time, Naruto went poof. "What the," began Chu but stopped as he heard a whistling sound. He looked up and saw that there were two other Naruto's above him. One seemed to be just floating way up in the air. The other was falling down fast in a nose dive. Not wanting to find out what was going on; Chu jumped backwards at the last second before Naruto hit the ground and exploded, sending Chu flying through the air. He landed face first and then rolled for a bit before he managed to hop back onto his feet as the real Naruto returned to the ground.

"Not bad mate," said Chu. "I was almost a barbie with that on. Completely fooled I was."

"You're not so bad yourself," admitted Naruto with a smirk. "But I wonder how you'll do once I get serious. I haven't even used my Sempuken yet." Chu smirked.

"So you've been holding out on me," he said as he reached behind him. "Well then, I guess I'll have to take it up a notch me self." He then pulled out a tin flask. "In here is the strongest alcohol in the world. It's called Onigoroshi."

"Oh, yeah people that's some strong stuff," said Koto. "One sip of that and you'll wake up in a cell the next morning and in the arms of some hairy dude you really don't want to know." By the time she finished talking, Chu had unscrewed the lid and was drinking every drop with his head tilted back. "And it seems that Chu is drinking more than just a sip."

"I can't believe he's drinking that stuff," said Tsunade who was up in the stands with Anko, Hinata, Jiraiya, and Shizune. Tsunade bit her lower lip, hoping that Naruto would finish this match soon. She bet everything on him!

"Will it make him more powerful?" asked Hinata. Tsunade shook her head.

"No," she said. "If it did something like that then everyone would drink it. A Suiken master does appear to get stronger the more the drink, but that is only because the alcohol draws out their hidden potential. But to use Onigoroshi is very dangerous. Not even I would try to drink that due to the massive liver damage."

Back on the floor, Chu had finished his drink and had thrown the empty flash away. All of a sudden, Chu's entire body began to vibrate. His muscles began to bulge and his skin darkened. Naruto braced himself for the worst as he watched and prepared for anything. Then Chu's cheeks began to bulge and he ran to the edge of the ring…and threw up. Naruto, as well as the rest of the crowd face faulted.

"What's the matter with this guy?" yelled Naruto. After a few more minutes of watching Chu vomit, the Kusa-nin stood back up and faced Naruto.

"Sorry about that," he said. "Now, let me show something amazing. **Suiton:** **Suiyogan!**" After calling out his attack, a ball of water and chakra formed in his hand. But where had the water come from? That's when Naruto saw that mixed in it was some other liquid, perhaps alcohol. Chu had probably used his own bodily liquids to create that attack and brought it out by his pours. Naruto smirked at as he began to spin his arm around until a twister formed around his fist. Naruto yelled "**Sempuken!**" and then readied himself for Chu's attack.

Chu took off, running to the side and Naruto did the same. Both of them still had their jutsus activated, ready to be used at a moment's notice. Then, Chu stopped in his tracks and threw his attack as if he were a pitcher in pro baseball. Naruto lifted his Sempuken and blocked the attack in the nick of time. The attack exploded and, thanks to the angle of the block, almost all of the damage was sent upwards. Once both attacked had been used, the two shinobi charged at each other. Naruto used his power of flight so that he could hit Chu in some place other than the legs and delivered the first blow to the man's chest. Chu countered this with a blow to the face.

Over and over the two punched and kicked each other. It seemed like they were giving it their all, to see who could take the most pain. Then, after a couple of minutes of this, Naruto was sent into the air thanks to a blow to the gut. But this time, Naruto didn't stop to hold his injured gut. Instead, Naruto pulled out several kunai and threw them at Chu. But this only caused the Suiken master to smirk as he quickly pulled out two daggers from his boots to defend himself. But Naruto wasn't done as he yelled, "**Fūton: Daitoppa!**" and created a powerful blast of wind. Thanks to this, the speed of the kunai was increased and Chu was pushed back. He was barely able to defend himself completely as he got nicked several times by the oncoming kunai.

"Well," said Chu as he began to pant. "I see you're built like a brick shit house. But I'm not done yet! Let's see that little twister block this attack! **Suiton: Akuyoigan!**" Chu then lifted both his arms above his head and created one large sphere like the last one, only this one was easily bigger than Naruto. "Eat this!" yelled Chu as he threw the attack at Naruto.

Chu watched as Naruto just floated there, staring at the attack. He wondered why he didn't try to get out of the way, but assumed that Naruto was just in shock. Too bad Chu never learned that one should never assume anything. Naruto began to spin his entire body around entire he was surrounded by a sphere of wind. Chu's attack then veered off and was then caught in the winds powerful force. And when Naruto stopped spinning, the Akuyoigan was sent off into the distance.

-x-

Elsewhere, Paul Watson from the show Whale Wars was on his ship planning his next episode. The plan so far was to throw some shit at some Japanese whaling ships in order to get them to stop and boost his ratings. Then, without warning, a large sphere that reeked of alcohol of energy hit his ship and destroyed it.

-x-

Back at the tournament, Chu was barely standing. He had used almost all of his chakra in that last attack only to have it blown away. Literally! And from the looks of it, Naruto was panting as well. Seems like it took more chakra than usual for him to alter his attacks course.

But it seemed like Naruto wasn't completely out of chakra because he formed another Sempuken. Now Naruto flew down towards Chu, his fist ready to strike Chu. He could feel the powerful winds from the Sempuken as they got closer and closer. Then, Naruto threw a punch aimed at Chu's head. Only he stopped just short.

"Do you give?" asked Naruto. Chu fell to his knees and lowered his head. Seeing this, Naruto raised his fist.

"Yeah, I give," said Chu. "Just do me a favor and make it quick." Naruto blinked.

"Say what?" asked the blond.

"Make my death quick," said Chu as he looked up. "That's what normally happens here, ya know." Naruto shook his head and deactivated the Sempuken.

"Like hell I will," said Naruto. "You put up a great fight. I can't wait till next time!" Chu blinked.

"Y-You mean you want to me a bloke like me again? But we're shinobi!"

"True," agreed Naruto. "But we're also people and you seem like a good guy. The world could use more people like us who give it our all until the very end!"

"Uzumaki Naruto," mumbled Chu as he fell to the ground. "Now his blood's worth bottling."

"Winner of round one: Uzumaki Naruto!" declared Koto.

-x-

Happy Halloween all. I hope you all enjoyed this bite sized treat!

Translations:

**Suiton:** **Suiyogan = Water Release: Drunken Sphere**

**Suiton: Akuyoigan = Water Release: Drunken Frenzy Sphere**


	32. Chapter 32

Thanks for waiting. I know many of you have been less than impressed by resent chapters. To be honest, so have I. I guess this tournament wasn't the best idea. But the good news is that it will be ending soon and then we can move on to the final arc. But it won't be rescuing Sasuke! Also, I have decided to update two of my stories at the same time. Lastly, I have created a parody of Red vs. Blue which I am calling Alliance vs. Horde. So far it's looking good.

Well things are heating up in Naruto. Tenten seems to have found a new weapon and Chouji is stepping up. Also, Naruto has found out what's really going on and is doing something about it. I mean, what did they think was going to happen when he found out? He'd try to escape every chance he got. Now both he and Bee are on the loose. Will the Hokage and Raikage be able to stop them?

Let's rock!

-x-

"So how did your match go?" asked Naruto. It was late at night, several hours since the fights ended. Both he and Sechs were walking to the outdoor hot springs for a little relaxation. However, ever since Sechs had returned from his match he had been in a foul mood. Naruto had tried to ask him a couple of times before but the girls had always stopped him. Well, Hinata stopped him really while Anko also tried to ask what his problem was as well.

"Hated it," said Sechs. "They had me fighting some yo-yo kid. His damn toys hurt like hell."

"Well you won, didn't you?" asked Naruto. Sechs nodded.

"Yeah, but not before I had to use a secret jutsu I was saving for you. Damn it!" Sechs suddenly stopped in his tracks which caused Naruto to do the same. He then looked forward and let out a groan. Standing in front of them was Shion. She was staring at Naruto intensely and by the look on her face it wasn't because she was a fan. Hell, he had been given kinder looks by people trying to kill him! "I think I'll give you two sometime alone." With that, Sechs made a mad dash down the hall.

"Thanks a lot," mumbled Naruto as he lost sight of Sechs. For what seemed like hours the two just stood there, waiting for the other to make the first move. Shion continued her icy glare while Naruto began to fidget. Finally, Shion made the first move.

"So, you're still here," she said slowly.

"Yeah, I am," replied Naruto.

"You should leave here now and go back to where you came from," said the priestess as she pointed a finger at Naruto. "I have seen the future and you will die."

Naruto rolled his eyes and groaned. This again. It was the same crap that Neji always talked about. The whole 'give up because I know the future and it can't be changed' deal. For Naruto, it was annoying as hell to hear. And after hearing it once he was in no mood to hear it again.

"Whatever," replied Naruto as he tried to move past her. However, Shion refused to let the matter drop so she blocked his path.

"I'm serious," she said sternly. "My visions have always come true."

"Then maybe you should join the Physic Friends Network or something," replied Naruto with a grin. Sadly, this only served to further piss off the priestess.

"Don't you get it?" she all but screamed. "I really am cursed with the power to see the future. I don't like seeing the people around me dying. I never asked for this. I never wanted to be seen as a freak or a bad omen. But I guess that's something someone like you could never understand." Now it was Naruto's turn to be angry. His fists tightened and his eyes narrowed. So she thought he had no idea what it was like to be seen as an outcast or a monster.

"I know more than you think," said Naruto darkly. Once again he tried to move past her only to have Shion step in the way again. She then looked him in the eyes with great intensity.

"No you don't," she said. "Now if you're smart you'll listen to me and leave." With that, Shion turned her back towards Naruto and began to walk away. She walked for several seconds down the corridor before she turned her head to look behind her. There was no sign of Naruto and she had no idea if he had turned around or simply turned a corner. When she looked forward again she saw a purple haired girl leaning against the wall.

"We know more than you think," said the girl. Shion blinked in surprise before she let out a groan.

"You shinobi are so rude," said Shion. "That was a private conversation." Shion began to walk away but Anko's voice made her stop.

"He's been hated for as long as he can remember," she said. "Hell, so have I but I have never had it as bad as him. I've seen him beaten more than once. I have been there when he was being shunned by the rest of the village. I've seen him covered in his own blood. For the longest time, that had been the norm for him. So yeah, he does know what it's like to be in your shoes. But there is one difference that separates the two of you. He has never given up or ran away from his problems." And before Shion could say anything, Anko left.

-x-

"Thanks for all your help Michi-chan," said the head nurse at the Konohagakure Hospital. Michi stood before her with a nervous smile on her face. Currently she was dressed in a nurses trainee uniform whish was completely white.

Ever since the end of the Chunin exam, both Michi and Hisame were basically stranded within the village. It wasn't that they were unable the leave. In fact, with security so low right now it would have been a piece of cake. The problem was that if they left Kakuzu would kill them. They had failed in their mission to kill Hinata twice and their boss was not a man of patience. At least not when it came to money. So for now they had to lie low until he either calmed down or they managed to kill Hinata.

So, for the time being, she had managed to acquire some fake documents and joined the hospital staff along with Hisame who was…come to think about it, right now she had no idea where the shark girl was.

Meanwhile, in a different room, Lee was lying on his back. After yesterday's mission, Lee and Tenten had decided to help Neji train. Lee, who had trained so that he might be able to defeat Naruto, had been giving Neji pointers. Mostly it involved jumping really high in the hope that they could reach Naruto before he flew too high up. But, at the end of the days training, Neji accidently delivered a dangerous blow to Lee. In truth it could have been worse and he would only be in the hospital for a couple of days. But it could have been worse.

Suddenly the door opened. Lee managed to sit upright to see who had opened it and his eyes went dish plate. It was Hisame in a white nurse's uniform. In her hands was a washing basin that seemed it be full of steaming hot water. How she was able to hold something like that was a mystery to Lee, but he had more important things on his mind. Like, for example, why the hell was she in his room. And why was she giving him such an odd grin.

"Hello Lee-kun," she said as she set down the basin. "I'm here to give you a sponge bath." Lee gulped loudly. But then, his keen shinobi senses noticed something. She didn't have a sponge.

"L-Looks like you forgot the sponge," he said nervously. However, Hisame's smile seemed to get wider and she grew neko ears. The shark girl then moved over to Lee's bed and then crawled onto it. Within seconds, her face was right above Lee's.

"Silly me," she said slyly. She then lowered her head so that it was next to Lee's ear. "It looks like I'll have to use my body instead." With that, Hisame sat straight up and began to unbutton her dress. But, when she got to the third button, she was hit over the head with a mallet.

"BAKA!" screamed Michi as she grabbed Hisame by the ear. "How in the hell is this not drawing attention to ourselves?" She then turned to Lee, who at this point was as white as a sheet. "Sorry about this." With that, Michi dragged Hisame out of the room. Moments later, the head nurse entered.

"Now where is Hisame?" she said aloud. "I thought I told her to be in here giving Lee-san a sponge bath."

-x-

"Welcome to the semi-finals fight fans," cried a happy Koto into her mic. "We have four people remaining and only two of them will be going to the finals tomorrow! Now on to the mayhem with our first two combatants. Hailing from Hi no Kuni we have the master of the wind, the Kaze-shu himself, Uzumaki Naruto!" At that the crowd cheered as Naruto entered the arena. He was grinning like an idiot as he waved his arms in the air wildly for the crowd. "And his opponent this time will be a samurai from Tetsu no Kuni, the lady killer himself, Shishiwakamaru."

Naruto watched as his opponent entered the field. He had bluish hair with long tresses tied in a loose ponytail and two large bangs sticking straight up from a widow's peak before falling back down to frame his face that was parted equally on both sides of his face. He wore a white uwagi and a light blue zubon with a red obi. As this sixteen year-old boy entered his fans, almost all of them female, began to cheer loudly. Many of them were holding up signs and jumping up and down.

"So we finally meet Uzumaki," said Shishi in an arrogant tone. It wasn't as bad as Sasuke's, but it was close. "Now we shall settle our dispute for the entire world to see!" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. To all of the world, it looked like he was thinking real hard about what Shishi had said. Slowly he looked up at Shishi with a deadpanned expression.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said as Shishi face faulted.

"I'm your rival from Tetsu no Kuni!" shouted Shishi as he got up, hoping that the name of his homeland would jog the blonds memory.

"Oh," said Naruto. "Never heard of it." This cause Shishi to once again face fault. When he got up, he saw that Naruto was scratching the back of his head. "Could you just tell me what I did or what you think I did to you?"

"So, you seem determined to play the fool," said Shishi as he reached behind his back. Seeing this, Naruto's instincts kicked in and he prepared for a sneak attack. A second later Shishi threw the item he was reaching for at Naruto only to have it land at the blond's feet. Naruto looked down and saw that it was a magazine. As Naruto picked it up he realized that he was on the cover. "Allow me to spell it out for you. You stole my spot to be this month's 'Teen Shinobi' cover bow!"

Nearly everyone in the stadium face faulted.

"That's it," cried Tsunade after she recovered.

"Wow," said Naruto as he admired his picture. "I never even knew."

"Proof that you are not worthy of such fame," said Shishi as he pointed a finger at Naruto. "I came here so that I might recover from the humiliation only to find you here as well. It seems that even the goddess of luck loves me for she has given me the chance to show you who the greater showman is. Then fame will belong to me!"

"Like I give a crap about being a showman," muttered Naruto.

"Hajime," said Koto, who wanted to get the bloodbath underway.

As Shishi drew his sword Naruto opened the magazine to the article about him. Seeing this, tick marks appeared on Shishi's face. Taking a breath Shishi charged at Naruto, ready to slice him in two with one stroke. However, Naruto shot up into the air and then crossed his legs. Shishi stopped and then tried to leap into the air with all his might, but it was no use. Naruto was simply too high up.

"Coward," roared Shishi. "Get down here now!"

"Not now," yelled Naruto back as he was looking over the article. "Hey, what the hell! I didn't know it was that big!" Suddenly, Shishi heard the sound of thousands of pages being turned. Then he began to hear things from the crowd like 'oh my' and 'I wish my boy friend's was that big' and so on.

"So you dare to mock me," growled Shishi as he tightened his grip on his sword. Then he took a breath and calmed down. He realized that Naruto was mocking him to get him angry, so that he would dance to the blondes tune. But now that he knew the blonds plan he could end it. With that Shishi gripped the handle with both hands and pulled it apart to reveal veins and a face that seemed to look like it was wailing. "Now you will face the power of my Ma Koku Mei Zan Ken!"

Naruto looked down from the magazine to see Shishi twirling his sword around above his head. The blond raised an eyebrow in confusion before a loud, annoying sound filled the air. It kept getting louder and louder until Naruto had to cover his ears. Shishi then yelled "**Baku Tō Doku Shoku Sō!**" Then, from his blade, came what seemed like dozens of ghostly skulls right at Naruto. Seeing the threat, Naruto let go of the magazine and did his best to dodge the attacks. But there were too many of them and he had been caught off guard all because he wanted to read the magazine during the fight. So it was little wonder that one of the phantom skulls hit his arm and the pain caused him to fall. But before he hit the ground Shishi used his trump card. He reached into his uwagi and pulled out a seemingly transparent cloth. Then, with a grin he jumped up to where Naruto was and wrapped it around him until Naruto vanished.

"Hey, where did he go?" asked Juri. Many people in the audience began to mumble the same question as they stared at the spot where Naruto had vanished.

"All that matters is that he's not here," said Shishi in a calm tone as he landed on the ground. "As to where he is I have no idea. The Shide no Hagoromo could have sent him anywhere. Perhaps he's at the bottom of the ocean or in on the moon herself. Where ever he is I don't care. Since he's not in the arena that means I win."

"Well, what he's saying is true," said Juri. "It's in the rules."

"Grr," growled Koto. "Very…"

"Hold up," yelled Naruto from up above. Everyone looked up to see Naruto as he slowly descended. As the blond landed on the ground he turned to face Shishi. "That cloth thingy seems like a rip off."

"Why?" demanded Shishi. "It's a perfectly legal strategy to remove the target from the area in order to achieve victory."

"That's not what I meant," said Naruto as he shook his head. "That thing just sent me fifty feet into the air." Shishi felt his jaw drop to the floor. How the hell was this possible? The Shide no Hagoromo was supposed to send whoever got wrapped in it to a random location. It never occurred to him that it might send someone to a nearby location!

"How dare you mock me," growled Shishi as he lifted his sword above his head. He then stabbed the ground and yelled out "**On Ko Shō Baku Heki!**" The next thing that Naruto knew was they were surrounded by a wall of chakra that seemed to be wailing. Naruto tried to move forward but he found out that he couldn't. Hell, he could barely move his arms.

Shishi smirked as he watched Naruto try to move. He knew it was pointless. The only one who was able to easily pass through this 'cage' was the one who used the jutsu. Even if Naruto attempted to fly up it would take too long. With a war cry Shishi leapt towards the blond with his sword above his head. Naruto stood there and watched as the blade made contact with his skull and then…there was a nice, big explosion that sent Shishi flying out of his 'cage'. When the young samurai landed he was barely able to move. His clothing was either burned or ripped and his sword lay a few yards away. Slowly he looked up to see Naruto gently land in front of him.

"I guess I owe you an explanation," said Naruto, still holding onto his injured arm. "When you used that Shide no Hagoromo I really was sent about fifty feet in the air. However, I never came down. Instead I sent a Bunshin Daibakuha in my place. The moment you attacked was the moment you lost."

"Y-You shinobi d-don't play fair," stammered Shishi as he tried to get up and failed. "You s-stole my chance for fame."

"I could care less about fame," said Naruto as he started to walk away. Then he stopped and turned to look at Shishi. "And you should have known we shinobi are tricky bunch. We are never as we appear. I'll fight you again if you want but next time you better come at me with better reasons to fight or else you'll end up the same." And with that Naruto walked away and let the medics take care of Shishi.

"Winner of match one is Uzumaki Naruto!" cheered Koto. "Next up we have the one eyed genin from Ame, the shinobi with the arm of steel, Sechs!" With that Sechs entered the arena. "And his opponent will be none other than the trickster from Kuma no Kuni, the shinobi who is said to be a master of a nine hundred and ninety-nine jutsus, Suzuka!"

"I think you mean the Beautiful Suzuka," came a voice from nowhere. Moments later a bright pink cloud appeared in front of Sechs. Sechs believed he was prepared for whatever came out of that cloud, but he was mistake. Instead of a fierce looking warrior he got a clown! Suzuka had long spiky blond hair that stood up like a broom. On the right side of his face was covered with an iron mask and a tear drop painted on his left eye while wearing a red rubber nose. As for his clothing, it was a neon pink jester suit.

"What…in…the…hell," demanded Sechs. "Why is it that ever since my first match I've been getting the weirdo's? I mean first I get the kid and now this."

"How dear you address me in such a manner?" demanded Suzuka. "It appears that you lack any sense of fashion or grace in battle. But don't worry, the Beautiful Suzuka will teach you well. By the time this battle is over you shall never forget neither my power nor beauty." And with that Suzuka threw his head back and began to laugh.

"I don't give a damn about beauty Suzuka," said Sechs. The clown glared at Sechs and pointed an angry finger at the boy.

"You forgot to add in Beautiful to my name," said Suzuka. "Beautiful is a word that is meant for me and only for me. To not place it in front of my name is a crime that is punishable by death. Since you are young I will forgive you this time. Never forget the kindness of the Beautiful Suzuka." Then, for reasons known only to the loony, he began to laugh again.

"I like the way this guy thinks," said Tsunade. Everyone around her gasped in surprise.

"Tsunade-sama, please that's not funny," cried Shizune.

"Silence," demanded Tsunade as she grinned wickedly. "From this day forth I will be known as Sexy Tsunade!" At that, Shizune began to cry. She had been putting up with a lot from her master. Always on the run from debt collectors, always cleaning up her messes, carrying her up to their room after she drank too much. But this was simply too much.

"Too bad you can't really enforce it," said Jiraiya which caused Tsunade to eye him. "But if you were Hokage then everyone would have to call you that instead of just Shizune."

"Hmm," said Tsunade as she got into a thinking pose. "You have a point there. Might be worth becoming Hokage after all."

_The village is doomed_, thought both Anko and Hinata at the same time.

"OK, I'm getting tired of this." said Sechs as he turned towards Koto. "Start the match already."

"Hai," said Koto. "Hajime!"

"I see that you're eager to lose to the might of the Beautiful Suzuka," said the extremely annoying clown. "But do not worry for I shall make this quick." That was the last thing he said before Sechs punched him in the face. With his metal fist. At full strength. The little rubber nose was smashed by the blow and the clown flew backwards by several yards. But Sechs wasn't done with him. Sechs raced after him and before he hit the ground Sechs punched him in the gut with his metal fist again. Suzuka began to cough blood as he hit the floor. Finally Sechs slammed his foot into the clowns gut.

"Yeah, this was real quick," said Sechs as he looked down at Suzuka. "Your problem is that you are too concerned about your appearance. You're all surface with no real power. I have no idea how you won before me, but it ends here." With that, Sechs kicked Suzuka so hard that it launched him out of the arena.

"You saw it here folks," cried a happy Koto. "Sechs has defeated Suzuka which means he will be facing off against Uzumaki Naruto tomorrow to see who will be champion!"

-x-

Outside the village where the Oni tournament was taking place, at the dead of night, Orochimaru stood on a hill. Around him were his loyal minions. First and foremost was Kabuto. Then there was his elite guards known as the Sound Four. They waited patiently as a new figure made his arrival. It was Sasuke.

Sasuke had left his village shortly after he had signed the scroll. It had been easy to slip out and as far as he knew no one had noticed he was gone yet. He looked at Orochimaru with some doubt that he could help train him. With the snake users arms damaged as they were, how could he train Sasuke to his fullest? Orochimaru seemed to sense what he was thinking and began to laugh.

"Kukuku," laughed Orochimaru. "Do not worry Sasuke-kun. I will give you all the power you need in order to achieve your goal."

"Fine," grunted Sasuke. He was tried from his travels and wanted this to go as fast as possible. "Then let's get going and give me the power you promised."

"What a fucking asshole," said the only female of the group.

"Do not worry Sasuke-kun," said Orochimaru. "The first step begins right now. We shall upgrade your seal so that you will have more power than ever before. And all you have to do is die for a little while." Seeing the startled look on Sasuke's face caused Orochimaru to grin and lick his lips.

-x-

It was the next morning and the stadium was packed. People from all over had gathered to see this event. Most of them had come to place bets in order to earn a little extra income. Right now the odds were dead even making it anyone's game. Shion, who was guarded by several guards, sat in her usual seat. For her, this match was more important than any bet.

Hinata felt uneasy. Next to her was Anko, but that wasn't the reason why. The reason was that last night Jiraiya hadn't returned to their hotel. He had gone out to drink with Tsunade but only the legendary medic had returned. She had voiced her concerns to Naruto who had assured her that the old prevent was either sleeping in a gutter drunk or chasing girls so there wasn't any need to worry. Hinata had to agree that those were both likely since she had seen his drinking and perversion more than enough in the short time she had known him. But now that Tsunade had also vanished made her worry some more. Shizune was also missing, but Hinata assumed that she was wherever Tsunade was.

Hinata was suddenly taken out of her thoughts as Koto's voice filled the area.

"Well fight fans the end has come," she said cheerfully. Next to her were both Naruto and Sechs, both eager to begin their rematch. "This will be the final fight of the Oni tournament. I hope you all have enjoyed yourselves. Now let's get this bloodbath started! Hajime!"

Both Sechs and Naruto quickly got into their fighting positions while grinning. Both of them had been waiting for this moment since the beginning of the tournament and both of them were happy to be facing each other in the final match. This meant that they could put their all into their match and not worry about holding back. Nothing could ruin this moment. Well, except that crashing noise near Shion's seat.


	33. Chapter 33

Hey everyone! Happy Halloween! Happy Thanksgiving!

I have decided to start a new omake series. So check out part one at the bottom of the page. I think you will all enjoy it.

I was right. I said it in the past that the person who was claiming to be Madara wasn't really Madara. I just knew that something was going on and that he was just using Madara's name. I mean, if he was the real Madara then why was he always hiding his face? But it seems that the real Madara has an idea of who the fake Madara is. Also, does every bad guy now have the Rinnegan? It's starting to get a little old.

Let's rock!

-x-

_Just a few minutes before Naruto-itoko match begins_, thought Haku as she looked from the TV to the oven. _I hope Ibiki-san's pie doesn't get too burnt. Or maybe that will help improve the flavor? _Ever since the chunin exam a certain scared faced torture master had been ordering pies and cookies from Haku like crazy. Never before had anyone ever asked for so much of her home cooking before. And it was helping her pay her part of the rent!

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. With a sigh, Haku got up from her seat and went to the front of the apartment. She had been expecting Kiba again because he had been showing up nearly every day. Haku wasn't dumb and knew that he liked her and normally she would have been flattered by it all. However, he also showed signs of interest in Hinata in a way that was more than a teammate. Yet, when Haku opened the door she found herself looking at Gaara.

"Ah…hi," he said as he looked away.

"G-Gaara-kun, what are you doing here?" asked Haku nervously. It had been awhile since she had seen the sand using shinobi and had mixed feelings about him. Feelings even she didn't understand.

"Me and my siblings are in the village as part of a peace endeavor until a new Hokage is appointed," he said. "I asked around and found out that this is where both you and Naruto live. Is he home?"

"No," said Haku as she shook her head. "Naruto-itoko is right now in the Oni Tournament. If he wins first place he will became a chunin automatically."

"I see," said Gaara. "Then allow me to say what I need to say to you then and I'll be on my way." Haku said nothing, she simply nodded and a moment later Gaara was on his hands and knees bowing to her. "I'm sorry for what happened during the invasion. I was under orders to attack this village but what I did to you wasn't. I know that there is no way you'll forgive me for trying to kill you but I had to let you know how I felt. Because I…"

"Gaara-kun," said Haku softly as she interrupted Gaara. The red head looked up and saw Haku's smiling face. "Would you like to come in?"

"H-Hai," said Gaara with a smile as he got up. A minute or so later he found himself seated at a table near the TV with a plate of Haku's homemade cookies in front of him.

"So," said Haku as she sat down. "I'm a bit curious as to what you want to tell my cousin. I hope it's not something like you want a rematch or something."

"No," said Gaara. "I wanted to tell Naruto that I have decided to join the regular troops in my village. I know how they feel about me and that the villagers in general are afraid of me. I-I have always known that but have done nothing. And all that has happened has caused me pain. The only connecting I have had with others until now have been painful ones."

"Gaara-kun," whispered Haku.

"I want to forge a new path. I want to work hard and connect with others. And maybe one day I can be like him. My fight with your cousin opened my eyes to something new. He and I are so much alike. We were born with the same burdens and the same hatred. Yet he was the one who kept fighting to change people's opinions of him. He never gave up hope that one day he could be something more. I now know what I must do and the goal I to must set for myself. I plan on working hard so that I will be acknowledged by the people of Suna and become their Kazekage. And maybe, on that day, I will be seen as something precious to others." At that, Haku smiled.

"I see," she said. "But I don't think you'll have to wait until that day, Gaara-kun."

"What do you mean?" asked Gaara. But before he could get an answer, something happened on the TV that caught both of their attentions.

An explosion!

-x-

"What's going on here?" demanded Koto as she looked at the audience. Smoke hid most of the people from her view but she knew where it had originated from. Shion's seat! Then four figures suddenly jumped out of the smoke cloud. One of which, the one with six arms, was carrying Shion away!

"Hey," muttered Sechs, "those are Oto-nins. I recognize them from the footage of the Chunin exam. They were the ones who were helping Orochimaru when he fought the Hokage."

"Are you sure?" asked Naruto. Sechs looked at Naruto for a moment before he nodded. Unconsciously he tightened his fist. He hadn't been there to see that fight and didn't feel right asking others what had happened. Well, not yet anyways. But if those four shinobi had helped kill the old man then he was going to make sure whatever they were planning with Shion didn't happen. Who knew what they were going to do to her! "Then I have to go after them."

"You can't," said Koto. "According to the rules if you leave the arena then you are disqualified."

"Naruto, think about it," said Sechs as he moved over to Naruto's side. "Whatever happens to her isn't your concern. Look, everyone else here is fine and the guards are heading out." Sechs was right. At that moment all of Shion's body guards were moving out and ready to fight. But Naruto also noticed how slow they were going. He also noticed that none of them were shinobi. Naruto looked Sechs in the eye and then towards where Shion had vanished. Then, he looked down.

"Sechs I…" began Naruto. Sechs sighed.

"I thought this might be the case," said Sechs. "We can't have a proper rematch if your focus is elsewhere anyways. So that means there is only one thing to do." Naruto looked up at Sechs who was grinning wickedly. The same kind of smile that Naruto got whenever he planned an awesome prank. And Naruto understood exactly what Sechs had in mind. Without another word the two of them jumped with all their might and landed outside the arena at the same time! They then began to race off as two people from the stands began to follow them.

"Ah Koto," said Juri nervously. "How are we going to call this one?"

-x-

"Let me go!" scream Shion as she tried to kick her way out. She had no idea what was going on or why. Also, she was confused. If her life was in danger she should have had a vision. So why hadn't she seen this coming or seen someone else dying while protecting her from them?

"Shut the fuck up," swore Tayuya.

"That's not very lady like Tayuya," said Jirōbō.

"Can it fatso," growled Tayuya.

"Shut up you two," said Sakon. The two quickly fell silent and turned their attention towards him. Shion took this to mean that this guy was the leader. "We seem to have some trash following us."

"That might not be so bad," said Kidōmaru with a smirk. "We have some time before Orochimaru is done with that Tsunade lady, right? We might as well have some fun killing some level one trash."

"I'll go," said Jirōbō. "I could use a snack anyways."

-x-

"Naruto-kun, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Hinata as she jumped from tree to tree.

"Why not," said Anko with a smirk. "We have been on the side lines for too long. Might as well have a little fun!"

"But this is dangerous," insisted Hinata as she looked at the backs of Naruto and Sechs. "These are people who work for Orochimaru and we have no idea where Tsunade and Jiraiya are."

"I know this is dangerous," said Naruto. "And I know this isn't a mission. But what I do know is that this Orochimaru person wants Shion for some reason otherwise he wouldn't have sent those guys to get her. I know I can't stand up to him but I might be able to mess up whatever he's planning and save Shion."

"And why are you doing this Sechs?" asked Anko. "I mean, you have no real reason to mess with Orochimaru. And we are from different villages so if we die then that's good for your village, isn't it?" Sechs snorted.

"Don't take like you know everything," said Sechs. "I came here and entered this tournament for one reason and one reason alone: to have a rematch against Naruto. And if he goes and dies before that happens then I'll never get that. I'll never know if I can defeat him the second time around and surpass my former self. So I'll help you guys out for the sake of that day." He then turned his head to look at Naruto. "But let's get one thing straight. You owe me big time!"

"Don't worry," said Naruto as he gave Sechs a thumbs up. "I promise we'll have our rematch."

"I don't think you'll be able to keep that promise," said a voice a head of them. The next thing they knew a heavy man with orange hair shot towards them in a Superman like pose. It was aimed at Hinata, but Sechs got in the way and caught the guy's fist in his metal hand. Sechs then tightened his grip and pulled the orange haired man towards the ground.

"Sechs!" yelled Naruto as he stopped and turned around. Down on the ground the dust was beginning to settle from their landing. Sechs and his opponent had landed on their feet and then jumped back to get some distance from each other.

"Don't worry about me," said Sechs with a grin. "I'll make quick work of this lard ass."

"What did you say?" yelled the orange haired man.

"You sure?" asked Naruto.

"Just go," said Sechs. He then looked up and gave Naruto a small smile. "I intend to keep up my end of our promise." Naruto said nothing; he simply nodded and went on his way along with Hinata and Anko.

"Pathetic," said the orange haired man. "Looks like as a leader he's nothing but trash for leaving you behind to face your death. I, Jirōbō of the Sound Four, shall end your life here and then kill the rest of them." Sechs narrowed his one good eye.

"If you think you can then do it," said Sechs.

"My pleasure," said Jirōbō as he made several hand signs. He then yelled out, "**Doton Kekkai: Dorō Dōmu****!**" Sechs didn't make a move as he was trapped inside a dome of earth. Jirōbō then placed both of his hands on the dome and prepared to drain Sechs of his chakra. Then, the chakra within the dome vanished which surprised him. The next thing he knew was that he was pierced by the Titan Blade. Slowly he turned his head to glare at Sechs who was giving him a bored look. "How?"

"A simple combination of the kawarimi and bushin," said Sechs. Jirōbō's eyes widened. He tried to think of a time when he could have used those two jutsus and then it hit him. When they landed there was all that dust, it was the perfect time! Sechs then withdrew his blade from Jirōbō and then turned around. "You must be the weakest. Damn, I was hoping that I'd get more of a challenge from you. But you're so lame you're not even worth using any real jutsus." And with that he folded up the Titan Blade, placed it on his shoulder, and began to walk away.

Jirōbō placed a hand on his wound as he turned around. His face was twisted into a snarl. How dare he! How dare this nothing, this _trash_ look down upon him. He was one of Orochimaru's chosen few! Rage flowed through him with the force of a raging stream. It burned within him with the fury and heat of molten lava. His body began to change. His hair turned into a long mane and his skin turned red. He got up and charged at Sechs who did not turn around or stop. But, when Jirōbō was about to strike at Sechs with a powerful blow to the head, Sechs spun around to avoid the attack as well as to counter attack with a metallic punch to the face. Jirōbō fell backwards from the blow with his eyes shut. He could feel that his nose was broken and the blood running down his face.

"Damn you," cursed Jirōbō as he opened his eyes. He then gulped for Sechs had activated his arms transformation and turned it into a gun. A gun aimed right at Jirōbō's head.

"You don't know when to stay down," said Sechs. "I was going to let you just walk away, but it seems like that was a mistake." And with that a beam of highly pressurized water shot out of Sechs' arm and pierced Jirōbō's skull.

"I see you already took care of that piece of trash," said a voice over to the side. Sechs turned around and saw a white haired teen dressed in a similar fashion to the late Jirōbō. Something in Sechs stirred at the sight of this person. A sense of danger mixed with worry. Whoever this person was, Sechs knew that he was strong.

"And who might you be?" asked Sechs as his arm turned back to normal. The teen said nothing at first. He simply reached over to his shoulder as a bone seemed to pop out. He grabbed it and pulled it out all the way to reveal that it was shaped like a dagger.

"I am the former leader of the Sound Four," said the teen. "My name is Kimimaro and in the name of Orochimaru-sama I shall defeat you and all others who stand in his way."

-x-

"I see them," called out Naruto as he and the two girls had caught up with the remainder of the Sound Four.

"What the hell," swore Tayuya. "That fat ass only took out one of the little shit?"

"Oh well," said Kidōmaru. He then tossed Shion over to Sakon who caught her with ease. "Looks like we'll have to handle this ourselves. It will be game over for them soon enough." And with that, both he and Tayuya turned around and began to head towards Naruto and his group. Anko yelled out "**Sen'eijashu!**" as several snakes shot out of her sleeve and wrapped around Tayuya. Anko then proceeded to drag the other girl west of the group. Naruto managed to jump over Kidōmaru and when he turned around to pursue the blond he found Hinata blocking his path.

"Don't worry about these guys Naruto-kun," said Hinata as she got into her stance. "We'll handle them while you get the priestess."

"Thanks Hinata-chan," said Naruto. "I owe you a date after this." At that, Hinata's face went beat red.

Naruto continued to chase Sakon until they came to a clearing. When they got there, Sakon stopped and turned around. Naruto noticed that they were far from alone. He could see Shizune, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya. There was also someone else there fighting Shizune but Naruto couldn't make him out. But what he could tell was that Tsunade wasn't helping Shizune fight nor was she helping Jiraiya fight Orochimaru. And near Tsunade was an odd barrel a little bigger than he was.

"I think it's time to end this chase," said Sakon. "And when I'm done with you I will assist Orochimaru-sama. You might have had a chance while you were all together, but facing me alone has guaranteed your death."

"Oh shut up," said a voice behind Sakon. Naruto blinked unsure about who said that. Then, the body on Sakon's back began to move as they dropped Shion. The head turned to face Naruto.

"Would you be quiet Ukon," said Sakon. "I can handle this so just go back to your nap."

"No because you'll just waste time," said Ukon as he stepped out of his twin brother. "We have wasted too much time with this trash already. Let's just get this over with!" And with that he charged at Naruto who prepared to block the attack. But what happened next shocked Naruto, instead of hitting him, Ukon began to merge with him.

"What the hell?" yelled Naruto.

"This is our kekkei genkai," said Ukon. "It allows us to merge with others at the molecular level." But then, just as his left arm had merged into Naruto, the unexpected happened. Ukon felt a presence and a chakra like he had never felt before. It felt like it was roaring at him and pushing him out! Then, all of a sudden, Ukon was sent flying backwards and landed on his back. "What the hell are you?"

Naruto blinked, unsure of what had just happened. One moment his opponent was trying to merge with him and then he's flung backwards. Naruto didn't know how or why, but none of that mattered.

"I'm the guy who's going to kick your ass! **Sempuken!**"

-x-

-x-

-x-

-x-Omake-x-

The Game of Life (part) 1

It was a rainy day in Konoha. The girls had planned on having a girls night out by going to the movies or something but it was pouring too hard. Now Ino, Temari, Tenten, Hinata, and Anko were all stuck at Anko's house. And to make matters worse, the power was out.

"So what do you girls want to do?" asked Tenten.

"Not much we can do," said Temari. "It's worse than a sand storm out there."

"Well I guess we can play a board game," said Anko as she finished lighting the candles. She then walked over to a closet and began to inspect what she had. "Let's see here. We can't play Disney's Scene It because we don't have any power. I'm missing some pieces from Clue… how about The Game of Life?"

"I guess," said Hinata as she began to clean off Anko's dirty table to make room for the game. "I just hope the game is as exciting as our real lives." Then a powerful wind blew everything off the table before Hinata had a chance to fully clear it. She then turned around to see Temari had pulled out her giant fan. But she remained in a battle position.

"The red cars mine," she hissed.


	34. Chapter 34

Yes, I'm back for more. Now before you all start yelling at me about being gone for so long I have something to say and it has been eating away at me for a while. I know I have told you all in the past that I have a life outside of writing. I wish I could write more, but I have to work so I can pay the bills so I can write this stuff. Things have gotten so bad I have had to take up a second job. In addition to that, I have been working on a collaboration story with my girlfriend Darth Cookie. Working with her on her stories has helped me with my creativity and my desire to write again so please check out her stories. But that's not the reason this has taken so long. The truth is that it's been feeling more and more like a chore. See, a lot of my reviews and PM's have been asking why haven't I updated, update faster, and so forth. I miss the days when people told me what they liked and didn't like. I still get those, but not as much as I used to. Now it's all 'when are you going to update' or 'update soon'. This has been annoying me for awhile now and gives me a negative feeling about writing these stories making me not want to write.

Now, on with my rant! Normally I rant on what's going on Naruto, but I'm not going to do that this time. Nope. I'm not going to talk about how I think Sasuke will get the forth level of his Susanoo from a paper cut or anything like that. Instead I want to talk about Jay Naylor. For those of you who have no idea who I'm talking about Jay Naylor is an internet comic artist that for the most part I like. His work in both Better Days and Original Life are very funny and enjoyable. I look forward to reading them whenever a new issue comes out with the same feeling I get with Naruto, Bleach, and Looking for Group.

However, despite this, I have seen one thing about his work that has continued to bug me. It's his views on religion and religious people. He just makes them all seem so…bad. Religious parents seem to be these over controlling jerks who care nothing for their children's happiness and just want them to marry people who have the same faith. Other times, the religious people are unfaithful and the religious leaders give poor advice. And then there was the muffin arc. It starts off with this girl who wants free muffins from this kid who is selling them for 75 cents apiece. The thing is that she wrote several negative articles about him and threatens that she might write more if he doesn't give her the muffin. Yet the guy stands his ground, thus refuses to give her any. She gets all huffy and then finds out from some bullies that the kid has a body guard who thinks he's a superhero. So she manipulates the superhero and it all leads up to a riot causing the muffins being destroyed so no one gets them. Her friends are pissed off at her because now they can't enjoy those tasty muffins anymore and that they weren't hurting anyone. So the girl says calmly that she was having a religious experience. According to her, a religious experience can only be felt when a person is controlling the mindless masses. Now that pisses me off. I get that everyone has their own beliefs and I respect that. Maybe he had a bad experience with religion, I don't know. I just wish that he didn't make everyone who has faith seem like a horrible person.

Wow, that was a long rant. Well, I hope you're all ready for this chapter. It's loaded with story and special features!

Let's rock!

-x-

Sakon and Ukon managed to dodge Naruto's first Sempuken. While they were spared from the full force of the jutsu, they were however thrown back several dozen yards by the powerful winds it created. As they readied themselves they saw that Naruto was hovering over the large crater that he had just created. Most likely the first of many in this fight. Off to the sidelines Shion was watching like her life depended on it. Well, actually, it did.

"Crap," yelled Sakon. "If that attack hits us we're dead."

"Then we make sure it doesn't hit us," replied Ukon as he activated his cursed seal mark. His twin nodded and activated his seal mark as well.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock and surprise. He had never seen anything like this before except in an anime or a manga. But if it worked in the same way then that meant that their abilities had become stronger. They might even have gained new powers as well! Taking a deep breath, Naruto paused to take in the situation. He was facing two strong opponents who had unusual abilities. They seemed to be able to merge with each other and had tried to merge with him. What it would have done to him Naruto had no idea. But for some reason it had failed and they were confused, like it had never happened before. He knew this worked in his favor. Right now seemed like the best time to attack before they managed to merge back together.

With a grin and a plan, Naruto began to spin his arm around and yelled "**Sempuken!**". He then flew at the twin brothers at full speed. Seeing the attack, and knowing the power behind it, Sakon and Ukon decided to play defense. They bit their thumbs, made the hand signs for a summoning, and then together yelled "**Kuchiyose: Rashōmon!**". This resulted in the summon of a giant gate which the two of them hid behind. They both waited for several seconds but heard nothing. No explosion of the Sempuken as it hit the gate. No cry of anguish from the blond.

"Hey baka's," came Naruto's voice from above. Sakon and Ukon both looked up to see Naruto standing at the top of the gate. "Did you both really think I couldn't stop in time to avoid hitting this thing or that I wouldn't try? I'm really offended here! Who is stupid enough to try and plow through the enemy's defenses when he could just go around it or above it?" Back in Konohagakure, Kiba sneezed.

"Baka!" yelled Shion who was watching the fight from the sidelines. "You should have continued your attack. Don't announce your presence to the enemies like that! What kind of shinobi are you?"

"Wow," said Naruto as he scratched his head in embarrassment. "You're right, I should have done that." Just then Sakon and Ukon were both grabbed from behind. The two brothers turned their heads around to see that they had been grabbed by Naruto's Kage Bushin's. "Oh wait, I did." A moment later Sakon and Ukon realized that they were wrong about what kind of clones had grabbed them as they exploded. When the smoke cleared all Naruto could see were the remains of what used to be two logs. Naruto stared at the remains with wide eyes as Sakon and Ukon appeared on opposite side of the gate. They both charged at Naruto with their kunai's in hand, positioned to kill. Naruto saw this however and took to the sky to avoid the attack, but both brothers threw their weapons at him. Seeing this, Naruto pulled out the Raijin, deflecting them.

"This could take awhile," said Ukon as he looked over at his brother.

"Then lets finish up with this trash quickly before Orochimaru-sama gets mad," replied his brother.

"Trust me," said Naruto as he got their attention. "The snake teme is the least of your worries."

-x-

Hinata dodged another one of Kidōmaru's attacks as she jumped from tree to tree. Besides having a couple extra arms he also seemed to be able to create weapons as well as webs from a substance that came out of his mouth. For a moment, Hinata couldn't help but think of a certain weapon mistress of their age group who would love an ability like that. Yet, on second thought, it did seem a little gross.

"You're good at running away," taunted Kidōmaru as he landed on a branch near her. Yet despite his taunt, he was a bit confused. He had heard a lot about the Hyuuga fighting style and had even seen it several times before. But, from what he had seen thus far in this fight, this girl had a completely different fighting style. Then he remembered a meeting the Sound Four had with Kabuto before the mission began. He had his special cards out and was showing them information on several shinobi he believed would try to interfere with their mission.

"This one's name is Shihōin Hinata," said Kabuto as he held up a card. "As you can tell by her eyes she has the Byakugan, normally held within the Hyuuga clan alone. However, at a young age she was deemed a failure and then she was kicked out of her clan. She was recently adopted by the Shihōin clan and possesses high speed attacks." Kabuto began to go more into depth about Hinata's abilities, but Kidōmaru wasn't listening. She was a weakling that her own clan didn't want so why should he bother to remember what pathetic skills she did have. And now he was staring right at her with a wicked smile on his face.

"Kabuto told me about you," said Kidōmaru causing Hinata to pause in shock. "Just another piece of trash that got kicked out of her own clan."

"So what if I am?" demanded Hinata as she kept her guard up. She did her best not to show it, but inside she was worried. Her opponent had mentioned Kabuto. Could it have been the Kabuto she met at the chunin exams? And if it was, did they force the information out of him or did he tell them willingly? If he had been forced then that would mean that the village would have to try looking for him or his corpse. But, if he had given the information willingly then that meant he was a traitor. Hinata mentally shook her head to cancel out these thoughts so she could focus on the matter at hand.

"You are trash aren't you?" said Kidōmaru. "I knew you couldn't be much of a threat, being a mere genin, but now that I know that you're even less threatening than before. This is going to be one boring game."

Hinata said nothing. _He's just trying to rattle you_, she told herself. _He wants you to get angry and rush in without thinking. Time to show him what you can really do!_

Kidōmaru frowned as Hinata continued to stare at him. The girl hadn't taken the bait. Then he watched as Hinata's body flickered for a moment before it appeared right in front of him. His eyes widened in shock as the pale eyed girl delivered a powerful dropping axe kick that connected with his left shoulder. As Kidōmaru yelled in pain, Hinata vanished once more using the shunpo to land on the ground and then used the momentum to deliver a more powerful round house kick. Kidōmaru was sent flying through the air until he crashed into a tree. Dust covered his form and, despite knowing that the power of that kick should have been enough to break nearly all his ribs while doing serious internal damage, Hinata stayed in her ready position for any possible counter attacks he might pull.

"Not bad," said Kidōmaru as the dust cleared. Now his body was covered by the same golden substance she had seen him use earlier to make his weapons. Hinata tightened her fists as the armor cracked to reveal that Kidōmaru was fine. "My Kumo Nenkin doesn't just come from my mouth but my sweat as well. When it makes contact with air it hardens instantly to form weapons or, like you just saw, armor. I have to admit that your last attack was slightly impressive. I never would have thought that trash would have forced me to use the Nenkin no Yoroi. Looks like I'll have to bring my game to the next level!" With that said Kidōmaru jumped up into the air and landed onto a nearby branch. Hinata saw this and used her shunpo to appear on the same branch. She planned on using one of her powerful kicks at full speed, but Kidōmaru had already pulled out a flash tag which he threw towards the girl. Hinata jumped away from the branch and tried to deactivate her Byakugan, but it was too late. A blinding light filled the area and with her Byakugan activated the effect was twice as powerful. In her shock and panic, Hinata missed the branch she had been aiming for and fell towards the ground, landing hard on the ground.

Hinata found it hard to get up. Her entire body hurt from the fall. She opened her now normal eyes to see that her vision was full of spots. This caused her to let out a sigh of relief. Considering how close the tag had been while her Byakugan had been activated, it could have blinded her for life.

Out in the distance, Kidōmaru had activated the first level of his cursed mark. He had thought that he wouldn't have needed it in this fight but the girls close ranged attacks were simply too powerful. As he watched Hinata try to stand up the six armed shinobi pulled out an arrow from his mouth and then proceeded to create a bow. Once that was done Kidōmaru smirked while taking aim.

Hinata struggled to stand due to the pain. Everything hurt. It was starting to fade, but slowly. She managed to take a step forward just as a golden arrow grazed her side. She nearly fell down but stopped herself as her hand flew down to cover the wound.

Hinata knew she had gotten lucky. She also knew that it was unlikely that her opponent would miss like that a second time. Her eyesight was still spotty, but she didn't think she could find him even with her Byakugan. He was most likely out of its range. Right now she had three options. The first would be to surrender. If she did that then she would either be killed or taken to Orochimaru to be used in his experiments. The second option was to use her shunpo to get away as fast as possible. But if she did that then Kidōmaru would do one of two things. He would either chase her or go and help his teammates. If he gave chase and caught up with her then she would have nothing left to fight with. If he went to go help his teammates then there would be a greater chance that Naruto or Anko would be defeated. So running away was not an option. This left her with her third choice which was to stand her ground and fight. And if she was going to that then she needed to take a very big risk.

Kidōmaru, from his hiding space, activated the second level of his cursed seal. The extra eye it provided gave him greater accuracy. Once that was done he created one of his special arrows that could plow through the trees and, just for good measure, attached webbing to the end of it to allow him greater control of the arrows path. As he prepared to fire he noticed that the girl was just standing there with her eyes closed. _She must have given up,_ he thought. _Too bad for you because this is game over!_ And with that he let his arrow fly. The arrow went at an incredible speed and didn't lose any momentum even after going through several trees. Kidōmaru watched with glee as it pierced the girl's chest and hit the ground behind her.

But this expression didn't last long. A look of confusion had replaced it as Hinata's body vanished leaving behind only her jacket. While Kidōmaru was trying to process this Hinata appeared in front of him, aimed for the middle of his chest, and yelled out with all her might "**Shunkō!**". The force of the attack was powerful enough to destroy many of the trees in the area, snapping them with the ease of a twig.

Hinata was panting hard as she struggled to stay standing. _My chakra is nearly gone_, she thought as she placed a hand to cover a small wound on her chest. Slowly the smoke and dust clearing showing that Kidōmaru was still standing and had used his Nenkin no Yoroi once again. Yet even his most powerful defense could not protect him from Hinata's most powerful attack for there was a large hole in the middle of his chest.

_Looks like this is game over for me_, he thought. _Never thought she could move that fast. She must have been focusing on her sense of touch and then used that weird substation jutsu at the very last second._ Kidōmaru then noticed Hinata fight to remain standing. Despite the numbness he felt as he began to die a smile appeared on his lips.

"Looks like it's game over for the both of us," he said just before the darkness overtook his mind. If he had been able to stay alive a few seconds longer he would have been able to see Hinata fall off the branch and fall head first towards the ground.

-x-

"Man, you two are annoying," said Naruto. Before him were the twins who were looking like they had seen better days. Breathing heavily, they stood in their level two forms that reminded Naruto of spiky armor. As for him there were a few cuts here and there but nothing that serious. _This is getting me nowhere_, he thought. _Looks like I'll have to ask for some help or else I'll be here all night._ Naruto then proceeded to bite his thumb, make a few hand signs, and yell out "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**". White smoke surrounded him which hid him from sight. But once it cleared the twins could see that he was no longer alone. On his back was a bright blue salamander whose body was nearly the same length as Naruto's, but very thin and frail looking. It also had a long white beard that went down to the blond's hip. Slowly the salamander began to look around as if it were confused.

"Ah, Naruto-kun?" it said in an ancient voice. "Are you in trouble or something?"

"Something like that," replied Naruto as he pointed at the two in front of him. "I just need some advice on how to deal with these two baka's quickly." The old salamander looked at the two who were preparing for an attack. But none came for all the salamander did was whisper in Naruto's ear. Once it was finished, Naruto made a sign before yelling "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" Smoke filled the area and when it cleared the two Oto-nins found themselves surrounded by a single ring of Naruto's. But this was only part one of the plan the salamander had thought of. Next, all of the Naruto's yelled out "**Fūton: Daitoppa!**". The powerful winds that this jutsu created from each clone forced the two into the center of the ring were the felt like they were being compressed. In an effort to relieve some of the pain Sakon and Ukon merged together so that they could heal themselves. However this seriously drained their chakra to the point where they had barely anything left. A few more moments later the two were tossed high into the air due to the force of the wind only to land with a very large thud.

Before they landed, Naruto had already dispelled his clones as well as his summons. He then flew into the air to check on them from a nice safe distance. It wasn't that he didn't trust the old salamander, who was a master strategist; it was just a precaution in case they had some life still in them. And as far as he could tell the two were knocked out cold. If they didn't have any internal bleeding or anything that could kill them then Anko could pump them for information. But before he went to get Anko, Naruto knew he had to check on Shizune, Tsunade, and that barrel. With that in mind he flew over towards Shion and landed.

"Come on," he urged. Together they began to run in the direction of the others.

"Wait a moment," said Shion once she realized where they were running to. "Shouldn't we be running back?"

"Anko-chan, Hinata-chan, and Sechs might still be fighting," said Naruto. "If we go that way there is a chance that'll you be targeted. Besides I have a feeling that this is the way we should be going." Shion gulped silently. This place looked a lot like her vision and, if it was the place, then that meant that Naruto was running towards his death.

-x-

Anko jumped from branch to branch as she avoided her enemy's attacks. Following her were Tayuya's Doki, three monstrous zombie-like creatures. The biggest of the three was bald with many scars coving its forehead. It wore only dark pants and a blindfold while tied on to both arms were three claws that it could use as weapons. The second wore green armor and used a giant iron club as his weapon. Its face was completely hidden from view due to its long black hair. The third and final one had his head upside down while its upper body was covered in bandages. Also, sticking out from the bandages were several long needles. Tayuya was in the distance, playing her flute for reasons unknown to Anko.

Anko had her Urumi out, ready for it to taste her enemy's blood. The bald Doki charged at her first, but she avoided the attack and launched her own. It missed the big guy but that wasn't her target, it was the one with the giant club. As the blade got closer to him the melody that Tayuya was playing in the distance changed slightly. Anko's eyes widened as the creature used his club to block the attack sending her blade upward. Yet with a flick of her wrist she sent the blade back downwards towards the creatures shoulder. Once again there was a slight change in the melody and the Doki jumped back before the blade hit.

Anko gritted her teeth as she was forced to jump backwards to avoid the bald ones attack as the song Tayuya played changed slightly. Suddenly, from above her, was the one with the club ready to strike. Anko made several hand signs before yelling "**Tetsu Hakari!**" Scales appeared on her arms as she raised them to block the attack. The club struck her with enough force to break a normal humans bones, yet the scales were strong enough to take most of the damage. However the force of the attack sent Anko down to the ground where the mummy man was waiting. As soon as she landed he kicked her hard sending right into the trunk of the nearest tree.

Anko let out a curse as she slowly got back to her feet. _Ok, it's official. I really, really __**hate**__ this bitch_. Just then the other two Doki landed on the ground next to the mummy one. Not wanting to take all of them on at once Anko threw down a smoke bomb and vanished.

"Trying to run away?" said Tayuya aloud to no one in particular. "Not like it will help. I'll hunt you down and present your corpse for Orochimaru-sama." With that, she brought the flute back up to her lips and began to play once more. Upon hearing the song the three Doki jumped into the air and began to head in three different directions.

Anko watched this from a hiding spot up in the trees. _Well this isn't hard to figure out. She's controlling those things with the sound of her flute. Get rid of the flute and those things are done for. At least I hope so. Worst case they might start to run wild, attacking everything in sight._ Anko paused for a moment as she considered her options. Right now the Doki were all over the place, apart for each other. Tayuya as still out in the open playing on her flute. Right now the best she could do was rush the opponent.

Anko raced out of her hiding spot at full speed as she began a series of hand signs. Tayuya spotted her and order her Doki to intercept her. Once she was in range Anko yelled out "**Dokueki Tsuba no Jutsu!**" sending out several sphere's of purple liquid at the red head. Tayuya, knowing that her Doki wouldn't be able to reach her in time, leapt to the right to avoid the attack. She then turned to her to look at the area she had been standing on to find that the area's where the sphere's had hit had melted away.

_That shit is going to be a fucking problem_, thought Tayuya as she began to play on her flute again. Anko yelled out "**Dokueki Tsuba no Jutsu!**" once more sending out several more poisonous sphere's towards Tayuya. The attack would have worked however the Doki with the club used his weapon to block the attack. As his weapon melted before her eyes, the other two flew towards Anko on both her left and right. Seeing that she had missed her chance, Anko twisted her body around so that her back was facing Tayuya. She raised her arm towards a branch and yelled out "**Sen'eijashu!**" Snakes shot out of her sleeve and wrapped around the branch. Moments later she was being pulled away from the Doki and towards the branch as her snakes began to retract.

_Not bad bitch_, thought Tayuya. _But your still shit compared to me!_ Tayuya then changed the melody on her flute. As she did her Doki began to open their mouths as ghost like worms began to come out. One of the worms managed to touch Anko's leg as she got away. The affect was immediate as she felt some of her strength vanish.

"Crap!" yelled Anko as she landed on the branch. Once her snakes were fully retracted into her sleeve she began to jump from branch to branch in order to avoid the Doki. _It only touched me for a second. If it had been any longer I might not be able to move this fast. Or perhaps not at all!_ Anko knew she was in trouble. Not only were the Doki strong, fighting them at close range was even more deadly as long as they had those worms coming out of their mouths. Not to mention that Tayuya was somehow controlling them with music. How she was doing that, Anko had no idea. It was like fighting a more dangerous version of Kin

Still, that didn't mean that she was out. She had learned a lot from Ibiki-sensei. Not just torture and interrogation, but strategy as well. She knew what Tayuya could do as well as all the combinations of jutsus she could use. She needed one that would get her up close to Tayuya and then another to kill her quickly. After going through several idea's only one seemed to had the best chance for victory. It was also the craziest, even by her standards. But it didn't change the fact that it was her best chance and she was going to take it. So, after taking a deep breath, Anko bit her thumb.

Tayuya watched her surroundings like a hawk. There was no sign of Anko, but she knew that the purple haired kunoichi was still in the area and would try to attack her again. But this time, Tayuya would make sure that she didn't get away.

Suddenly, Tayuya spotted movement on the forest floor. It was Anko making another mad dash towards the tree Tayuya was on. _Rookie mistake bitch,_ thought Tayuya as she sent her Doki towards her prey. As they fell down towards her Anko yelled out "**Dokugiri!**" She then exhaled a large cloud of purple smoke blanketed the forest floor. Moments later the Doki landed in the cloud, but could not see a think. Nor could Tayuya from her position. _Shit, I can't see a fucking thing. No matter, she can't stay in there forever. It will either fade or she'll come out on her own shitty free will. Maybe I should summon my Doki over her so that their not just standing ideally by and can protect me better. _Before Tayuya could do that, she heard Anko yell out "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" Then, from out of the purple cloud came a large blue snake heading right for the foul mouthed red head. Acting quickly Tayuya ordered her own summoned creatures to attack.

Once they heard the order, the three Doki jumped out of the poison and surrounded their prey. The big bald one attacked the snake's back with his claw like weapon while the other two went with punches and kicks on the reptiles sides. As they did this the ghost worms were also hard at work as they drained the snakes strength. By the time Anko's summon was ¾ of the way to Tayuya it opened its mouth to let out a screech of pain from having the scales on its back being ripped apart. As it did, however, it also let Anko out of its mouth with her weapon in hand. Anko swung, sending her whip like blade towards Tayuya's chest. Acting more on instinct, Tayuya lowered her flute to block the attack. After all, it was a special flute that was stronger than nearly all other flutes out there. Sadly for her, Anko's blade not only pierced it but also her chest as well.

Tayuya dropped both parts of her now useless weapon in order to pull out the Urumi, but Anko reached her first. In a flash Anko had knocked her against the trunk and brought their palms together. She then forced them both to make a certain hand sign together that made Tayuya's eyes widen in fear.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" yelled Tayuya. "We'll both die!" Anko grinned wickedly.

"As long as I take you down, I don't give a damn," she said coldly. "**Sōjasōsai no Jutsu!**" From Anko's sleeve came two snakes that bit both girls' wrists, injecting them with a very deadly poison. Yet as Anko fell Tayuya turned into mud.

"Stupid bitch," said the foul mouthed Oto-nin as she came out of her hiding place. "Should have made sure that was the real fucking thing." She was about to leave, but stopped and looked at Anko's corpse. For a half second she stared at Anko before her eyes fell on Anko's weapon. Deciding to take it as a trophy, Tayuya walked over to the weapon. As she bent to pick it up she heard a sizzling sound coming from Anko body. Tayuya lifted up Anko's trench coat to find it full of active exploding tags.

The explosion was both quick and powerful not only destroying the branch they had been fighting on but most of the tree as well. Jumping out of the smoke was Tayuya, now in her level two form. She had several burn marks on her body and her clothing had several holes in it, but she was alive. _That bitch!_ Tayuya screamed in her head._ She was going to kill us both and then blow up both our dead bodies. Wait, why would some piece of shit like her do something like that? And use that many exploding tags? Three of four would have done the job, but there had to be a couple dozen in there. Did she think that I might survive her first attack and planned accordingly or some shit like that? And if she thought there was even a chance that I could, why the hell would she fucking use that first jutsu?_

Just then, Anko appeared behind Tayuya with a kunai in hand. In a swift and powerful motion she stabbed the Oto-nin right side. Tayuya screamed in pain and anger as she swung her arm at Anko. The attack hit, sending Anko flying towards the ground. After she landed on her stomach, she tried to get up but found she couldn't due to using far too much of her charka. _I knew this might happen_, she thought._ Naruto-kun did warm me that the kage bunshin uses a lot of charka. Not to mention all my other jutsus as well as charging up all those exploding notes._

When Tayuya landed, she couldn't help but smirk at Anko's current state. Despite all of her planning she still ended up in this position looking utterly pathetic. She probably didn't even have enough charka to stand, let alone fight.

"I'm going to fucking enjoy this," said Tayuya as she pulled out a kunai of her own. She then slowly walked over to Anko's body in an attempt to increase the girls fear and panic. She wanted her to cry. She wanted her to beg for her life. Not that she would give it anyways. Yet, Anko said nothing as she stared at Tayuya.

Once Tayuya was over Anko's body, she bent down and grabbed the girl by her hair. Once she did, however, a grey snake came out of Anko's mouth and bit the red heads arm before going poof. Tayuya stared wide eyed at Anko as her body began to tremble and her breathing quickened in fear. Then, all around her the world began to melt. Tree's, birds, Anko, and even Tayuya's body all seemed to be melting together.

"That was close," said Anko softly while still on the ground. She managed to move her head and saw that Tayuya was also lying on the ground with her mouth open as drool was dripping out. "Hey, can you hear me? That snake that bit you has a very interesting venom. It's a hallucinogen that feeds on your chakra. Think of it as a chemical genjutsu that you can only escape by having it drained from your body. The problem is that it takes time for my summon to build up the poison. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a little nap." And with that, Anko closed her eyes as a shadow fell over her body.

-x-

Sechs and Kimimaro continued to stand in the same place for a while now. Neither one had moved an inch since they had meet. But both had their weapons ready for battle. Sechs had his Titan Blade ready while Kimimaro had pulled out a bone dagger from his shoulder. Both were gauging the other and deciding on what to do first.

Just then a buggy came by with Juri and a camera crew, ready to film everything.

"Do I really have to do this?" whined Juri.

-x-

"Hey baa-chan," yelled Naruto as he and Shion made their way to where Tsunade was. She was just lying on the ground, shaking nervously. Naruto noticed that she had some blood on her but it didn't look like hers. Off to the side was a large barrel of some kind. He then glanced around to see Orochimaru fighting Jiraiya. He also saw another fight between Shizune and what looked like Kabuto. That caused Naruto's eyes to widen in shock. Wasn't Kabuto on their side? Why was he fighting Shizune?

Just then a buggy came by and out of it came Koto and a camera crew. In a flash they set up near were Tsunade was lying.

"This is Koto coming to you live on sight," she said quickly and cheerfully. "As you can see it is a beautiful war zone here with plenty of bloodshed to be had."

"And more to be had," came Sakon's voice from behind them. They turned around and saw he was standing right in front of the barrel with Ukon in his back once more. He was panting heavily and looked like he was in real pain. "I will not fail Orochimaru-sama!"

Naruto was about to say something when the barrel suddenly exploded. Everyone covered their eyes in order to protect them from the dust. When they opened them again they saw that the twin had been impaled by a chidori. The owner of the jutsu they tossed their bodies to the side and smirked at Naruto.

"Here's Sasuke!" he said with an insane smile.

-x-

-x-

-x-

-Omakes-

Game of Life part 2

Once the girls had each picked out their cars, Temari getting her red one, they all went down the road to collage. Anko went first in her purple car and landed on the first stop to get her career.

"Ok," she said as she picked her card. "It looks like I'm a lawyer."

"Hm," said Temari. "A career for people with a forked tongue. Fits you perfectly."

"Shut your trap and go," growled Anko. With a smirk Temari spun the wheel and also landed on the career space.

"Please let it be something good," prayed Temari as she drew a career card. "Crap, I'm a real estate agent."

"Well looks like I'm next," said Tenten as she spun and her green car landed on the career space as well. She drew her card and let out a cheer. "Awesome, I'm a cop. I hope I'm a sniper for something."

"I hope I get a good career," said Ino as she spun. However, her yellow car got into an accident and she lost all of her money. "Ah crap. Well it's your turn Hinata." Hinata spun and her car blue landed on the career space, much to Ino's irritation.

"Nice," said Hinata with a smile as she looked at her card. "Looks like I'm a doctor."

"… kinky" commented Anko.

Omake 2

Naruto the Brony

Brony Con had come to Konoha with a force. In the convention center, civilians and shinobi alike were buying all sorts of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic merchandise. From DVD's to costumes, it had everything. Heck, even a certain blond haired shinobi was looking for something in the plushy section.

"Please have one," Naruto prayed aloud. "There had to be one Rainbow Dash plushy here."

"N-Naruto-kun," came a voice behind him. Naruto turned around to see Hinata holding a Fluttershy plushy. "I-I didn't know you liked Rainbow Dash."

"Well we have a lot in common," said Naruto with a grin. "We both have big dreams and we both know we're awesome. It also makes sense since I'm a wind user and she's a Pegasus pony."

"But isn't she gay?"

"Please, there are people out there that think I'm gay for Sasuke," said Naruto. "I don't know where these rumors come from because I don't see it. So, you like Fluttershy?"

"Ah yes I do," said Hinata as she hugged her plushy. "She's so similar to me. Like the fact that we're both so shy around others."

"And your both very cute," said Naruto with a smile. This caused Hinata's face to turn bright red before she ran in the opposite direction. Shrugging, Naruto turned around and found his plushy.

As he walked around he saw others that he knew from around the village. Ino and Sakura were fighting over a Derpy plushy. He spotted Kankuro who was brushing the mane of a Rarity plushy while blushing. Tsunade was in a Celestia costume with Gai in a Big Mac costume. Soon he spotted Gaara and ran up to him.

"Hey Gaara, didn't expect to see you here," he said. It was then that he noticed that Gaara was holding a Luna plushy. "I guess you're a Luna fan."

"Indeed," said Gaara. "I can relate to her because she was once a villain who is now trying to make up for her past mistakes and be recognized for who she really is." Just then, Sai walked up to them.

"It's similar for me as well," said Sai as he showed them his Twilight plushy. "Just like she is learning about friendship, so am I."

"I think Apple Jack is just cute," said Kiba as he came running up to them with a grin on his face. "Plus, she has a dog. She's a keeper."

Just then they spotted Shino walking towards them. Today he was wearing a Pinkie Pie shirt with a matching Pinkie Pie baseball cap. In one hand was a Pinkie Pie plushy and in the other was a Pinkie Pie balloon.

"Don't judge me," he said as he walked past them.

"Hey, do you guys think this is a little gay that we like this stuff," said Choiji as he walked up to the group with the entire Cake family plushies. "I mean, this is a show meant for little girls."

"Better than that over convention next door," said Kiba.

Meanwhile, at the Twilight convention next door, Sasuke was dressed up as Edward with the glitter and everything. Orochimaru had dressed up as Belle while Kabuto was dressed as Jacob.

-Omake 3-

"Well, this is Darthvalgaav saying I hope you all enjoyed this chapter," I said aloud. "For all of you wondering where Mihoshi is, she heard the ice cream truck go by and went after it. Weird, that was a while ago and she should have been back by now. Oh well, what's the worst that can happen?" A feeling a dread washing over me.

"I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Don't worry; you won't have to wait until next year for the next one. I plan on having it finished before December. Also, I'm going to be starting my top ten lists. My first one will be top ten hottest anime girls! Now, I won't be going by bust size or anything like that. Appearance is important over all, not who has the biggest jugs!"

Suddenly an ice cream truck breaks through the wall of my house. Mihoshi is in the driver's seat for some reason.

"THAT'S IT," I roar. "YOU'RE FIRED!"


	35. Chapter 35

"**What do you mean I don't have Mihoshi insurance?" I roar into my cell phone. Behind me are the remains of my former home. After Mihoshi drove into it with an ice cream truck, she tried to make it up to me by trying to fix it. Several explosions later I find myself now living in my car. Angrily I turn off my phone. "Well this is just great! Now what am I supposed to do?"**

"**You could do that top ten list you told your readers about," says Mihoshi.**

"**I thought I fired you," I say as I glare at her. She grins as she begins to look over some document on her pen computer thingy. "Well might as well. This is my top ten hottest anime girls. Please note that I will not be including girls under the age of sixteen. Number ten is ****Eve Neuschwanstein from Needless. I feel like I'm cheating a bit with her because she can change her form like a certain character from the X-Men series. She's cute and has an interesting personality.**

"**Number nine on my list is Shampoo from Ranma ½. I like her for her accent which I think is very interesting. I have heard some people say it makes her sound dumb, but I know she's not. As a plus she can make ramen!**

"**Sango from Inuyasha takes the number eight spot. When she's in her civilian outfit she looks, for a lack of a better term, plain and doesn't stand out much. But when she changes into her battle outfit she becomes a woman you won't want to forget.**

"**Lucky number seven belongs to Lina Inverse from The Slayers. Sure she has a body type that makes her look younger, but that doesn't matter. She has her own type of charm as well as her own set of ethics. She's greedy and selfish yet will still go to the ends of her world while fighting demon lords to help those that mean something to her. Just don't get on her bad side!**

"**What top ten hottest anime women list would be complete without a cat girl? And when I think of a cat girl I think of ****Aisha Clanclan from Outlaw Star. She is the only alien cat girl I have ever seen that makes me think she is an alien cat girl. I've seen Cat Planet Cuties and those cat girls look like regular girls with cat ears on their heads. So Aisha takes number six."**

"**Am I on the list?" asks Mihoshi.**

"**Check the bottom to find out!"**

**Let's rock!**

-x-

A cold breeze blew past the group, turning the mood sinister. Naruto stared in disbelief as Sasuke stood in front of him, blood dripping from his hands from his recent kill. The blond watched as his teammate lifted his bloody hand up to look and it smiling. Naruto tightened his fists as he glared at the dark haired shinobi.

Behind him the others stood watching silently. Tsunade, who was frozen on the ground caused by the blood splatter on her face, watched silently. Shion stood a few feet behind the blond teen, with a look of horror on her face. Finally, off to the side, Koto and her film crew stood silently as their equipment continued to record the events occurring in front of them.

"What the hell was that about teme?" demanded Naruto. "What's going on?"

"What's going on is that I got what I deserve," said Sasuke with a smug look on his face. "Orochimaru has given me more power than I ever could have back in that pathetic village. And now I have the perfect test dummy to try this new power out on!"

"Wait," said Naruto as he took a step back in shock. "You're working with Orochimaru?! He's the teme that killed Ojisan! He attacked the village! Don't you understand that what you're doing is betraying the village?!"

Sasuke frowned. "You really are a dobe," he said simply. "I don't care about that pathetic village at all. That place is full of fools who are just playing shinobi and fan girls. It's only been holding me back, keeping me from achieving my goal of killing Itachi. Orochimaru is strong enough to kill a Kage. He has the power that I need and deserve. It only makes sense that I would go to him."

Naruto lowered his head causing a shadow to cover his face. "I never really liked you," said Naruto slowly. "I always thought of you as an ass who always got everything he wanted without having to work for it. You were always surrounded by girls, always got Kakashi-sensei to give you one on one training, and so much more. It pissed me off to no end. But, in all honesty, I believed that deep down you loved the village just as much as anyone else in Konohagakure." Then, slowly, he raised his head back up, revealing his angry glare. "What you are doing right now is spitting in the face of everyone who helped you. Who looked up to you and trusted you." Naruto slipped his feet into a fighting stance. "I won't let you just walk away like this. I swear I'll stop you and take you back to the village so you can answer for all you've done."

"I'd like to see you try dobe," said Sasuke as his Sharingan activated. Naruto took a step towards the traitor when he felt someone grab the back of his shirt. Turning his head, he saw that it was Shion.

"Don't fight him," she said with a hint of fear. "He's the one I saw in my vision. He's going to kill you!"

Naruto snorted. "I've said it once and I'll say it again; I don't believe in fate."

"BAKA!" yelled Shion as tears began to fall down her face. "Don't you understand? Every vision I have ever had comes true. Each one of them was of someone who was trying to protect me. It's written in stone that you will die!"

"Just shut up," said Naruto with enough force to make Shion take a step back. Naruto sighed before continuing. "I don't know anything about your past. And right now I don't have time for you to give me your back story. So I'll tell you this: I give you my word that I'll protect the two of you and live. And I never go back on my word." Both Tsunade and Shion looked shocked by this declaration. Shion opened her moth to say something when Sasuke's fist connected to the side of Naruto's face, knocking the blond to the ground.

"You should never take your eyes off someone who is trying to kill you," sneered Sasuke as he charged for another blow. Naruto managed to get to his knees as he caught the blow with his right palm. Sasuke's eyes narrowed for a moment before they widened with fear. He quickly jumped back as Naruto used his wind chakra to created a blade in his palm. Luckily for Sasuke, he managed to get out of the way in time while suffering only a minion cut. _Crap_, thought Sasuke. _I didn't know he could do that. It looks like I'll have to take this a bit more seriously._

Sasuke made several hand signs before a blade of lightning appeared in his hand. Naruto, now back on his feet, reacted by spining his arm around until a mini twister surrounded his fist. The two shinobi shared a momentary look before charging at the other, screaming their attacks names for all to hear.

"**Chidori!**"

"**Sempuken!**"

-x-

"I really don't like it here," whined Juri from her hiding place. Her grip tightened around the mike as she watched the two shinobi in the field continue their staring contest. It felt like an eternity since the two began, just standing there refusing to blink. While she did not know the reason why, a more experienced fighter would recognize that the two were sizing the other up. Both knew that if they rushed into the fight half cocked then he would most likely lose.

But all things have to end sometime. Slowly, the two of them began to take out their weapons. Sechs unfolded his Titan Blade while Kimimaro's grip on his bone blade tightened. The white haired shinobi then charged at his opponent and with fluid movements delivered a low kick to Sechs' legs. As Sechs stumbled to the ground, Kimimaro adjusted his grip on his bone blade in preparation for a stabbing blow. Sechs anticipated the attack before he hit the dirt. He had less than a second, but as soon as he landed on the ground he spun his body so that it rolled out of the way of Kimimaro's strike. As soon as he was out of the way the Ame-nin jumped to his feet, swinging his blade in the direction of the Oto-nins head. Kimimaro expertly deflected his opponents strike with his bone blade. A loud clang sound was heard by all in the area as the two stopped to stare at the other in surprise. Sechs then leapt back several feet before glancing at his weapon.

"_Shit_," thought Sechs as he glanced at the Titan Blade. "_I can't believe this bastard was able to chip the Titan Blade! This thing was specially made for me by some of the top weapon smiths in Ame. Looks like I'll have to keep on my toes._

Meanwhile, Kimimaro was studying his own weapon. The area that had impacted with Sechs' weapon now had several cracks and fractures. _So that piece of trash has a decent weapon_, he thought, tossing his blade away. _I'd had best take him out as quickly as possible. My body is only able to move right now due to my will power and I must reach Orochimaru-sama soon so that I may be of use to him one final time._ Kimimaro began to raise both hands, extending his fingers towards Sechs as bones began to push out of the skin at the tip of each one. "Teshi Sendan!" he yelled as his finger bone bullets were launched at their target.

Sechs did his best to dodge, bending backwards as the attack soared harmlessly above him. However, Kimimaro relentlessly launched his jutsu again and again. Sechs desperately dodged the attacks but, as time went by, he could feel each one coming closer and closer to hitting him. After the tenth try, the Ame-nin screamed out in pain as one of the bullets ripped through his leg.

"Damn you!" growled Sechs as he made several hand signs. "Doton: Yakyuu no Jutsu!" Sechs yelled stomping his foot on the ground causing a large dense chunk of rock to shoot out of the earth. Sechs swung the Titan Blade, striking the rock with the flat side of his weapon, sending it flying towards Kimimaro.

The Oto-nin let out a sigh as long thin bone blades grew out of the palms of his hands. "**Yanagi no Mai!**" said Kimimaro calmly slicing the flying rock in half. As the two chucks soared past him, Kimimaro charged forward, slashing Sechs across the chest. Sechs cried in pain as he jumped back to a safer distance. "Let's try this again," he said through clenched teeth. "Doton: Yakyuu no Jutsu!"

"Useless," said Kimimaro, slicing another bolder in half while closing the gap between him and his metal armed opponent. This time, however, Sechs managed to dodge the attack by leaping backwards once more. The instant his feet touched the ground Sechs yelled out "Doton: Yakyuu no Jutsu!"

Kimimaro felt his eye twitch. "Pathetic trash," he said cutting through Sechs' attack once again. Yet what he didn't see was the exploding note that the Ame-nin had placed on the back of the rock. As soon as he cut it the note detonated, sending the white haired teen flying backwards. Seeing his chance, Sechs jumped into the air above his opponent ready to strike with the Titan Blade.

"This fight is mine!" he yelled. Sadly the Titan Blade did not pierce flesh as he had intended. Instead it struck solid bone which appeared on Kimimaro's skin like an exoskeleton. Black markings now covered every inch of Kimimaro's body.

_I never would have thought that I would need to use my Cursed Mark on a piece of trash like this_, thought Kimimaro rising to his feet. Once standing, dozens of bone spikes began to grow all over his body as they protruded from his elbows, back, chest, and even along his arms. _I will finish this quickly so that he does not interfere with Orochimaru-sama's plans_, Kimimaro thought, leaping forward to attack.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" yelled Sechs. Gulping, Sechs did something that no one who knew him would ever believe: he ran away. A tick mark appeared on Kimimaro's head as he watched Sechs run in the most disgraceful manner. With little effort, Kimimaro easily moved in front of the Ame-nin ready to strike. But as he did, he noticed that Sechs' metal arm looked different. Almost like a…

"Shit," swore Kimimaro as Sechs pointed his transformed arm at the killer bone user.

"Payback is a bitch," said Sechs with a sadistic grin. He then shot a narrow stream of water at Kimimaro who did his best to dodge. While the attack missed his main body it did hit one of the numerous bone spikes on his body. After the attack ended, Kimimaro looked at where the water had hit him to discover a small hole through the bone.

_The pressure must be incredible to do that to one of my bones_, thought a slightly shocked Kimimaro. _If he gets in one good shot then I'm done for. I can't believe that I'll have to resort to this._ Not wasting another moment, Kimimaro began a series of hand signs. Once he was finished, the white haired shinobi began to sink into the ground until there was nothing left of him. Confused, Sechs transformed his gun back into its arm form. He had no idea what to expect but at least he could make hand signs in this form.

"**Sawarabi no Mai!**" Sechs heard a rumbling sound before a bone spike shot out of the ground near him. A second or two later another one fallowed, then two more. Then three. Soon dozens of bone spikes were coming out of the ground, faster and bigger than the ones before. Sechs did his best to get out of his opponents range of attack. Unfortunately several large spikes shot up in front of Sechs causing him to slow down, losing his momentum. A moment later, hundreds of three story bone spikes shot out of the earth.

Kimimaro let out a small sigh as he walked out of one of the bone spikes. It was over. There was no way a piece of trash like him could have escaped his jutsu. Suddenly a burst of pain shot through his chest causeing him to fall to one knee as he coughed up some blood. _I must hurry_, thought Kimimaro as he started to stand once more. However he suddenly leapt to the side in order to dodge some kunai attached with exploding tags. Once the explosion cleared, Kimimaro looked up to see a shocking sight. Sechs was alive and airborne. Flames burst from the bottom of his boots allowing him flight. (Think of Firelord Ozai from Avatar.)

"Can't believe I was forced to use this against someone other than Naruto," said Sechs as he landed. The seals he had placed on his boots which allowed him this ability were recently placed and Sechs still hadn't fully mastered them yet. It would be dangerous to use them in a fight that wasn't a friendly sparing match.

Kimimaro grunted irritably as he went into his second stage. He was going to end this right here and now. He would crush this piece of trash with 100% of his power. The markings began to cover his body and soon he took the appearance of a purple dinosaur like creature complete with a tail. "**Tessenka no Mai: Hana!**" Out of his arm came several bones which merge together until they took on the appearance of a large drill.

"This is one of my strongest attacks," said Kimimaro pointing his arm at Sechs. "It is made of the strongest bones in my body."

"Impressive," said Sechs as he lifted the Titan Blade above his head and began to swing it around with both arms. "Then I guess I'll have to use my strongest attack as well!" Flames began to cover the Titan Blade which started out red but quickly turned blue and then white. Kimimaro watched in slight awe as Sechs stopped the swinging to point the weapon at his opponent causing the flames to take shape. The blade of the weapon resembled a birds head while the hilt had sprouted wings. "Hope you like this one. This is a jutsu I created just for the Kaze-shu! These are the hottest flames surrounding my weapon to give it incredible destructive power."

"Interesting that an insignificant runt like you can do something this impressive," said Kimimaro. "Does it have a name?"

Sechs blinked before reaching into his pocket to get a piece of paper. He had been having trouble coming up with a name for this jutsu so he had asked his teammates to come up with one for him. When he found the paper he looked at it, first in confusion and then rage.

"I am not calling it **Pretty, Pretty Pony**!" he yelled as he tossed the piece of paper away. Kimimaro felt his eye twitch right before he charged forward. Sechs reacted instantly, charging Kimimaro with everything he had. There was a bright flash as their two attacks connected. When the light faded, Sechs was lying on the ground, a dark circle around his one good eye. His entire body felt like it weighted a thousand pounds. Blood was spilling onto the grass.

"That attack," said Kimimaro slowly, "wasn't complete trash." It was a pity Sechs couldn't see the state his opponent was in. There was a large hole on his right side that had completely consumed his arm and most of his upper chest. There was no blood for the heat of the flames was so strong that it had cauterized. Kimimaro coughed up blood one final time before falling to the ground. He was dead before he hit.

"Looks like I win," wheezed Sechs as he heard Kimimaro fall. "But…it doesn't look like… I'll be able to continue." With that Sechs closed his eye as a human shaped shadow fell upon him.

-x-

Naruto and Sasuke's attacks collided. Sasuke had done his best to aim his Chidori right into the funnel of Naruto's Sempuken. According to Kakashi that was the weak spot of the jutsu. Even a lightning element jutsu like his could defeat it if aimed for that one spot. What he didn't know was that Naruto also knew about his jutsu's weak point. As soon as he realized what Sasuke had planned the blond lifted his arm, deflecting Sasuke's attack away from the middle. While this did help to protect Naruto, Sasuke's attack still came causing a huge explosion.

Shion coughed as ruble and dust from the explosion covered her. She rubbed her eyes clean only to wish she hadn't when as she saw something that made her blood run cold. It was the same as her dream. Naruto suddenly landed in front of her and Tsunade. He had several bruises, cuts, and was dripping blood.

Hopefully Sasuke had gotten the majority of the blast. Or at least the blond hoped. He had acted more on instinct in order to defend himself.

"See," Naruto said, grinning at the women. "I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He suddenly braced himself as he heard the sound of chirping birds. Shion saw Sasuke aim his Chidori and race towards Naruto at an amazing speed. She knew Naruto could get out of the way, but if he did there would be a chance that Sasuke's attack would hit one of them. One of the people Naruto had promised to protect.

As the attack neared, the sound of a bell rang throughout the area. An energy field surrounded Naruto, deflecting Sasuke's attack. While everyone else blinked in confusion, Shion had a confident smirk on her face. Unknown to all others, she had slipped a special bell onto Naruto the last time she was close to him. Using this bell she was able to protect him from the attack. She had changed Naruto's fate.

"I don't know what that was dobe," said a bitter Sasuke glaring at Naruto with all of his anger. Naruto watched as black marks began to appear all over the emo's body. "But I promise it will be the last lucky break you get!"

"We'll see about that teme," said Naruto as he shot into the air. Had Kakashi or Anko been there they would have expected Sasuke to growl in frustration or something to that affect. But instead, Sasuke just smirked as he bit his thumb. After doing a couple of hand signs Sasuke yelled out "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" bringing forth two giant hawks. Still grinning, Sasuke jumped on top of his first summoned hawk, Takamaki, while Takayami looked up to search for their prey.

Meanwhile, Naruto bit both his thumb and placed a drop of blood on the back of each hand. Once done he made several hand signs before yelling out, "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" When the smoke cleared Hinoke and Ensho were on Naruto's arms once more.

"Naruto-niisan," cried Hinoke. "It's been a long time! Are we going to play a game?"

"Baka," said Ensho as he turned his head to glare at the other salamander. "Naruto-sama needs us for battle, not to play some childish game." He then looked at Naruto. "So what is the situation?"

"Sasuke-teme is betraying the village," said Naruto. "He has teamed up with Orochimaru and got some new powers. I thought I should pull you two out."

Ensho nodded. "Very wise Naruto-sama. The two of use will be very helpful against his flames."

"But I wanna pla-" began Hinoke but was interrupted as two large hawks appeared in front of them.

"When did he get those?" whispered Naruto under his breath as he tried to gain some distance. The two hawks, however, were faster than he thought and easily kept chase.

"Looks like it's time for the rein of the Kaze-shu to end," said Sasuke with a sneer. He then made several hand signs before yelling "**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!**" Several fireballs shot out of his mouth and headed in Narutos direction. _There is nothing that dobe can do. Fire jutsu's are strong against wind which is all Naruto really knows. Even the Semputate, his best defensive jutsu, will be powerless against my fire._

"That won't work," said both Hinoke and Ensho as they both made very familiar hand signs. "**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!**" While it was the same jutsu, there was no doubt that there was more power in the one the two salamanders used. Their fireballs collided with Sasuke's, easily overpowering them. Seeing this, Takamaki banked left in order to dodge the attack.

"Impossible," roared Sasuke. "How can that dobe use a Katon jutsu with that much power? I thought the only element he knew was wind!"

"I saw it all," said Takamaki as he began to circle around to Naruto. "It was those salamanders on his arms; they used the Katon jutsu while Naruto made it stronger."

"But how?" demanded Sasuke.

"Naruto pumps his wind chakra into their legs," said Takamaki. "They have obviously been working together on this for awhile." The hawk then paused as he realized that Naruto was flying straight at him ready to deliver a knockout blow upon impact. However, Naruto didn't know of the enemy diving downwards with his talons ready to strike. As Naruto was about to hit Takamaki with the full force of his fist, Takayami grabbed Naruto from behind. The blond screamed in pain as the hawks talons dug deep into his flesh as the two plummeted towards the ground at a dangerous speed.

Naruto struggled to free himself as best he could. But he couldn't reach behind him in order to free himself. Luckily for him he wasn't alone. Ensho crawled up Naruto's arm as quickly as he could until he was at the shinobi's shoulder. Once there he unleashed a small Katon jutsu at the winged creature causing it to release its prey. As soon as he was free, Naruto stopped his decent as quickly as he could. However, he was in a large amount of pain and bleeding very badly.

"Uzumaki!" yelled Takayami as he circled around to make another go at Naruto. "Why? Why have you betrayed us?!"

"What are you taking about?" yelled Naruto as he barely dodged the hawks attack.

"The scroll! How could you and your clan toss away our summoning contact after all these generations?!" Takayami was about to attempt another strike, but Naruto appeared right in front of him and grabbed the hawk by his wings. They were now face to face and Takayami could see confusion in the young teen's eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Naruto. "As far as I know my clan doesn't have a scroll."

Takayami blinked. "You mean Kushina-hime never left you anything?"

"Who the hell is Kushina?" demanded Naruto. He was starting to get annoyed with this hawk. Nothing he said made any sense to the blond. But, after he answered that last question, he noticed the hawks eyes narrow before looking over towards the other hawk that carried Sasuke. Then, with a mighty beat of his wings, the hawk left Naruto and headed right for Sasuke.

"LAIR!" shouted Takayami, as he got close to Sasuke. _He didn't know anything about us! Something must have happened in the village that caused the Uzumaki clan to lose everything. After that, this gaki must have found the scroll and tricked Takamaki. I'll claw out those cursed eyes out myself for this transgression!_ With talons ready, Takayami was about to do just that when Takamaki intercepted the attack. "What are you doing you baka?!"

"I could ask you the same thing," said Takamaki. "I don't know what the Uzumaki has told you but you shouldn't listen to his pathetic excuses."

"I will not let blind rage guide me," said Takayami as he struggled with the other hawk. "Nor will I allow you to do this. If you will not listen then you have forced my claws." Without another word Takayami grabbed the other hawk before going poof, dragging Takamaki with him and leaving Sasuke to fall to the earth below.

As Naruto watched Sasuke descend, he noticed that the marks on Sasuke's body changing. Soon his entire body turned grey and two webbed handed looking wings shot out of his back. Sasuke began to flap his wings; however he was too heavy to fly like Naruto could. Still, he managed to slow his decent and glide down to the ground. Naruto studied Sasuke's movement intently from above only to realize that he was headed towards Tsunade and Shion!

Sasuke grinned wickedly as he neared the two women. He knew they were important to his former teammate which meant that he would do anything to protect them. And if he couldn't then Sasuke would get the satisfaction of knowing that he hurt Naruto in a deeper way. A way that would hurt him greater than any flesh wound. With that in mind, Sasuke activated his Chidori as he dove down towards his targets only to have Naruto appear in front of them with his Raijin out. Both teens screamed the others name as their attacks collided creating a blinding light. Both lightning blades fought for dominance for a moment however, under the stress, a tiny crack appeared in the Raijin. Yet as soon as it happened Sasuke's attack faded, much to his surprise. Seizing the moment, Naruto swung down with all his might and cut off Sasuke's right arm. The black haired teen screamed as he fell to the ground holding the stump that was once his arm. The blond, on the other hand, began to fall to the ground due to his exhaustion.

"Naruto!" screamed Tsunade as she got up to caught the young shinobi despite all the blood on him. Slowly, she laid him down on his back so that she could heal his wounds.

_Sasuke lost_, thought Orochimaru as he saw the events out of the corner of his eye. He knew this was bad. His new body wasn't strong enough if he could be injured this easily. Not to mention he would need his arm reattached which would take time. To make matters worse, it looked like Tsunade had gotten over her fear of blood, which meant that she could enter the fight at any moment. _We had better leave soon. But before we do I should at least take care of the Kyuubi gaki. If I leave him alone now, who knows how powerful he'll become in the future!_ Without another thought, Orochimaru raced away from Jiraiya (who'd he been fighting up till now) towards the blond trio. His neck extended and a blade came out of his mouth.

Tsunade looked up from her work to see her old teammate coming towards them. She instantly knew his target was Naruto, but she wouldn't let him have the boy. As he got closer, Tsunade planned on useing her own body as a shield only to stop when she heard someone behind her shout "Suiton: Akuyoigan!" She watched as a sphere smelling like sake hit Orochimaru, knocking him to the ground. Tsunade turned around to see Chu standing there along with Shishiwakamaru and Suzuka. The former clown looking nin had Hinata, Anko, and Sechs on his back.

"Why is it that someone of my great beauty has to carry three people while you two don't even help?" whined Suzuka.

"Because," began Shishiwakamaru as he drew his sword. "We'll be doing the fighting. As the weakest one here, you have to do something to pull your own weight."

"He's right mate," said Chu as he cracked his knuckles. "Our boy Naruto be in a deep shit pile he is. Be needing some help against these blokes." Suddenly Kabuto appeared beside his master to help him up. Right then, Shizune appeared next to Suzuka with a kunai in hand. Both she and Kabuto looked worn out from their battle. Moments later Jiraiya landed next to Tsunade.

"I have to ask you something," said the blond medical nin as she glanced at Chu. "We aren't from your village nor are we allies. So why are you helping us?"

"It ain't complicated Sheila," said Chu. "Naruto is a good old mate he is. Good old fight we had, respected me. Let me live he did and that's not something to be forgotten. No hard feelings about my loss an all."

"I won't let Naruto show me up again," said Shishiwakamaru as he readied his sword. "I will show the world who the real showman is by taking down Orochimaru."

"I'm only here because they dragged me out here," said Suzuka.

Orochimaru looked at the group in front of him. During his fight, he noticed that Jiraiya was getting stronger bit by bit. Whatever was wrong with him at the beginning of their fight was clearly wearing off. Then there was Tsunade, who was now finishing up the healing jutsu on Naruto. If she entered the fight then the odds wouldn't be in his favor. As for the rest, well, he was sure that Kabuto could take them down even if he wasn't at full health. Finally, there was Sasuke who had passed out. He needed to get the boy back to his lair to begin patching him up as well as making him stronger to be his next host body. Right now there was too great a chance that he might get hurt even worse in the crossfire.

"Kabuto," said Orochimaru in a calm tone. "We have what we really need. Lets go home." With that the three enemies began to sink into the ground until they were gone.

A few minutes later Shion found herself sitting next to Naruto. Tsunade had finished giving him emergency first aid and was now working on Sechs. While she did that Shizune was looking after Hinata. The others stood guard in case anyone interrupted them.

"N-Naruto-kun, I was wondering if I could ask you something," said Shion. Naruto, who was still laying on the ground looked up.

"Sure," he said. "What's up?"

"Well, it's like this," said Shion as she took a breath to calm her nerves. "Do you know about the grand prize for the tournament?" Naruto nodded which caused Shion to feel a bit more at ease. "Well then you know how the winner has to help me carry on my powers to the next generation."

"I guess," said Naruto who had no idea what she was talking about. "Don't worry. I'll do anything I can to help."

"Really?" asked an excited Shion.

"Hey, don't count me out," said Sechs as he tried to get up. However, Tsunade's strength kept him to the ground. Still he was able to turn his head to look at the two. "Whatever you want him to do I can do as well. Hell, I bet I can do it better than he can!" This caused Shion to blush.

"Do they know what she's talking about?" whispered Shizune to Jiraiya. During the opening ceremony of the tournament she had seen Naruto and Sechs leave while the rules of the tournament had been announced as well as what first place winner recieved. As usual it was an immediate promotion to chunin. This year, however, there was an added bonus that caused them to make it a men only tournament: the hand of Shion in marriage!

"I don't think so," said Jiraiya as he pulled out his notebook. "But I want to see where this is going to go. It would make excellent research for my next book!"

-x-

"**Well I hope you all enjoyed the story. Now then let's continue this list. For number five goes to none other ****than ****Rosette**** Christopher from Chrono Crusade. She's a kick ass nun with a gun. She temps devils! Enough said.**

"**Number four is Charlotte Dunois from Infinite Stratos. In an anime with so many accents, I was in heaven. So not only did she have a good French accent, she also had an interesting personality and was cute.**

"**Shayla-Shayla from El Hazard has the number three spot. Tanned shin, red hair, and blue eyes makes her look exotic in animation. You just don't see this combination all that often. I also liked it that they made her a person who was fearless in battle but nervous as all hell when talking to boys.**

"**Hinata from Naruto Shippuden is number two. Do I even have to go into detail here? She's kind and pretty. She can kick ass when push comes to shove. Her biggest flaw is that she's a bit too shy. Oh, she's also a stalker but that can be overlooked.**

"**Finally, the number one hottest anime girl is Ryoko from the Tenchi series. Tenchi was one of the first anime series I ever saw so it makes sense that one of the girls from that show would make it to my number one spot. What sets her apart, in my eyes, is that she is tough yet very kind. We first met her as a space pirate that falls in love with the star of the show. As the series goes, I watched as she tried her best not to fall back on her old ways while still respecting who she was. It didn't always work, but she never lost sight of who she was. And in the manga, she has the gentlest expressions of any other character I have ever seen even while covered in blood.**

"**Well, there you have it, my first top ten list. Next time, while I search for a new home, I'll be going over my top ten villain lairs. Which ones are the best and why. I hope to see you all soon and…"**

"**I'm off to become President of the United States!" shouts Mihoshi.**

"**WHAT!" I yell. "You're an alien! How can you become President of a country on a planet you weren't born on?"**

"**You don't have to worry about that," she said.**

"**Well then it looks like I have to leave the US," I say with a sigh.**


End file.
